Death Defying Tourism

The roads here in Ireland are a wee narrow for the modern car:

While many risk their lives to defend the freedom of their country or pursue a comparable noble cause,  Barry and I risk our lives to see an abundance of stunning scenery, such as this vista along the Atlantic, taken along the Ring of Kerry (peninsula) in southwestern Ireland:

Narrow lanes are complicated by a number of other factors.   We take shoulders for granted on American roadways, but they seem to be as rare a luxury as cloudless days in Ireland.  Other barriers that prevent one from driving the car into oblivion (guard rails, bollards, etc.) are also notably absent from Irish roads, leading to signs like these, which in my mind, basically say "Good luck fella... hope you don't fly home in a wooden box":

Then, we have the tour buses, which only pass by at a rate of one per minute, and, by law, have the right of way.  No matter how much of their lane (and your lane) they are occupying, these tour buses may do as they wish, and the ordinary passenger car driver is left to accommodate a wide range of bus driver behaviors.   While facing these tour buses, head-on, often through one or slightly wider than one lane passages, we are supposed to relax and enjoying the vistas below:

Right.  We learned early on that enjoying the scenery meant pulling the car over, removing the key, and exiting our rented death trap:

With a keen interest in continued living, Barry and I have strict job descriptions on this trip.  Barry has been the driver and I the navigator.  Navigator responsibilities are substantially greater than on American roads, because they must include instructions for winding one's way through a plethora of roundabouts, all the while thinking left rather than right (drive left, look right!). But, the navigator's job description is nothing compared to the driver's job description which often involves choosing between potential wrecks.   How often have I heard Barry say: "Well, I would rather run into a stone wall (on the left side of the road) than a car head-on toward the center of the road!"  You have to wonder ... why are we driving on roads that mandate such a choice?

Death-defying tourism.   Roads more adrenaline-provoking than skydiving.  A curb-clipping, brush-swiping, gravel-spitting experience.

Isn't it amazing that the Irish have a traffic fatality rate less than one third of the United States.   190 killed on roads last year in the entire country (including Northern Ireland).

But, how many of those 190 were tourists?