Crash anniversary - Lives are still at risk on school buses

ON today’s poignant anniversary of the tragedy in which five young girls lost their lives — when their school bus overturned in Co Navan — it is worrying to note that children continue to be at risk.

Despite progress on the installation of seat belts and the elimination of overcrowding in school buses, questions still hang over the road safety of many school run vehicles in the country’s ageing fleet.

It should not have taken last week’s near tragedy for the Government to question the sense of Bus Éireann checking the road worthiness of the bulk of its fleet.