Ireland's speeding ministers

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2003-01-23

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Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Bertie Ahern, and the country's commissioner of police, Pat Byrne, have been warned by that country's National Safety Council about the danger that, sooner or later, a fatal crash will result from speeding by ministerial drivers.

The Irish Independent newspaper reports that the warnings were issued before Minister of State Noel Treacy's civilian driver was convicted of speeding at 95mph in a 60mph zone while bringing him to a Dail (Parliamentary) debate. There has recently been a spate of speeding incidents, one involving Mr. Ahern's official car.

Apparently, Minister Treacy had told his driver to get him to a meeting in Dublin (notorious for its heavy traffic) by 3.30 pm. The ministerial car was stopped at 2.20pm near Mountrath, County Laois, about 60 miles from Dublin. Asked on national television whether he believed a driver could be in full control at such speeds, Mr Treacy replied: "I believe the drivers that I have are professional people, highly competent."

The minister admitted the driver was acting on his instructions but maintained he had not instructed him to drive at 95 mph. "We are lawmakers, not lawbreakers," he said. "I wasn't aware he was breaking the law as such, and I regret that very much. And, of course, he has paid a penalty for that and I accept that."

Ireland, along with most developed countries, has been experiencing a decline in fatal road crashes over the past 20 years, but recently the number of miles traveled on Irish roads has ballooned, almost doubling during the decade of the '90s. This has resulted in a rise in fatal road accidents.

In "The Road to Safety," the first ever road safety strategy paper ever produced by the Irish Government, speeding was one of three areas specifically targeted as a focus for safety initiatives. The others were alcohol use and seatbelt wearing.

The case involving Mr. Treacy's driver occurs at a time when Irelands motorists are being hit with penalty points and higher insurance premiums in a war against unsafe driving. The driver, James Kirwan, was convicted him of speeding on December 20 and ordered to pay 500 Euro (about U.S. $540) to homeless agency Focus Ireland. Mr. Treacy said he regretted the conviction but defended the driver's actions. "I had to be in Dail Eireann for 3.30 and obviously my driver was trying to get me from A to B as quick as he could, and that was it," the minister said.

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