A chilling video released by Luas operators shows some of the close calls incidents between trams and the public.
The footage has been shared by Transdev as a stark warning to pedestrians and motorists that 'only seconds could change your life'.
In January to April this year, there have been 14 incidents of trams coming in contacts with vehicles, with one incident resulting in the tram derailing.
There have also been seven incidents of contacts with pedestrians, with two of these resulting in a fatality.
Commuters are being reminded that trams cannot swerve, take time to break and stop, and coming into contact with a tram can result in a serious injury or fatality.
Some of the incidents drivers continuously report include pedestrians jaywalking, never looking left and right, often with headphones in and heads down and motorists and cyclists breaking red lights.
Not breaking red lights and crossing roads and tramways carefully are basic rules of the road which, when broken, can prove fatal.
Seamus Egan, Managing Director of Transdev said: "People have become familiar with Luas, and with familiarity sometimes comes complacency.
"A tram is on a fixed track, it cannot swerve, and it needs more time to break than a road vehicle.
"Motorists, who often visibly speed up to cross a road junction as opposed to slowing down, need to be more mindful of the potential consequences of their actions."
He continued: "Not only is the motorist gambling with his or her life and the lives of others, a collision with a tram results in significant delays to, or curtailment of service for Luas customers.
"When a collision with a tram does occur, Luas passengers are left waiting for the Emergency services to deal with the incident before the all-clear can be given for the Luas service to resume."
Some easy tips to remember when using Luas:
- Stay focused
- Always look left and right before crossing Luas tracks
- Slow down coming up to traffic lights
- Don’t assume the tram is going to be able to stop instantly
- Familiarise yourself with the tram lines
- If you see a motorist break a Red Light – report it to An Garda Síochána
