Lethal car culture must be changed

It would take a heart of stone not to be moved by the victim impact statement (page 9) made by Margaret Sheehan at the circuit criminal court in Cork yesterday.

She was speaking at the conclusion of the case which followed the death of her son in a car driven by Paddy Buckley, 23, Millstreet, Co Cork.

Buckley, Keith Sheehan and a third man had been drinking all day before the fatal crash.

A contrite Buckley was jailed but, just as in every other case like this, nothing anyone can do will undo the terrible waste of life involved. The regret and heartbreak will stay will all involved for all of their lives.

Nearly every young man imagines himself untouchable and too often this leads to dangerous and sometimes lethal driving. It will take a great cultural shift to overcome this but the stakes are too high not to do everything we can to change reckless driving habits.