Farcical move shows obsession with money

THE latest developments in road safety are, once again, a farce. My son is one of the target drivers. We are being told that the three main reasons for traffic fatalities are alcohol, speed and fatigue.

On that basis nothing separates us as drivers. We don’t drink and drive, we drive responsibly and, like most people, we keep generally within the speed limit. We all suffer from varying levels of fatigue, which is natural.

At 19, my son is an adult, but he will be expected to travel with a fully licensed driver if he fails his test — assuming he can get it.

In reality, this would mean one of his parents taking him to college, work, etc, surely increasing our levels of fatigue.

This also highlights the Government’s obsession with money. A young provisional driver will face a fine of €1,000 if caught unaccompanied by a fully licensed driver.

There could have been several effective responses to this other than a fine. A ban on holding a provisional licence for 12 months, a ban on securing car insurance, a curfew on night-time driving, etc. As always, the Government has responded the only way that it can and made some money out of it.

Perhaps most telling of all, it has chosen to avoid a total ban on alcohol. Is it just a coincidence that pubs and breweries will be pleased with this development? Shame on all of them.

Ken Lynch

79 Templeacre Ave

Gurranebraher

Cork