Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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I would like to make a couple of observations and ask a few questions. I welcome all our visitors and thank them for their excellent presentations. I put it to Mr. Lee that I do not understand the definition of a "write-off". Two of my vehicles have been written off through no fault of my own. Am I wrong in my understanding that if a car is written off, it is chopped up for spare parts and never gets on the road again? Is a write-off just some actuarial term? I ask Mr. Lee to respond to that question. I was struck by the statistic that 10% of cars imported from the UK are problematic from an insurance point of view. I might not have the right terminology, but I think Mr. Lee knows what I mean. I would like him to expand on this striking statistic. I also understand that large numbers of damaged and repaired vehicles are returning to the road without documentation to confirm the status of those vehicles. Mr. Lee might elaborate on that when he gets a chance.

I agree with most of the points made by Ms Murphy in her excellent presentation. I think her proposal regarding the use of headphones by cyclists is a no-brainer. I would like to mention one of two bugbears of my own in relation to the drivers of trucks, lorries and articulated vehicles. I do a lot of driving around the country. If I am driving on the inside lane of a two-lane carriageway in an urban environment, the driver of a big articulated vehicle on my outside might need to turn left. I understand his problem because he has to stay in the outside lane to get traction to make the turn. Has the cyclist or the driver on the inside any rights at all in such circumstances? Is it a case of might is right? I have witnessed some pretty scary situations when the drivers of big articulated vehicles assumed there was nobody inside them as they turned left. I would also like to mention that big lorries on motorways tend to hog the crown of the road, especially in bad weather. This means that a car overtaking such a vehicle has a very small avenue for the manoeuvre. It can be very intimidating for a driver in such circumstances to have a lorry to the left, probably throwing up every kind of spray, and more often than not a concrete carriageway divider to the right. Why do big articulated vehicles tend to hog the crown of the road? It seems to me that the carriageway is wide enough. Ms Murphy might explain that.

I would like to hear the views of the FCI on what Ms Murphy said about tractors on motorways. Would the farm contractors share her opinion? I am not trying to get a row going here or anything. I am just wondering what they think. The FCI is seeking an exemption from the proposed NCT for tractors. I would like to hear the logic behind that. We are all buying into high standards of road safety. I do not really understand the FCI's argument in this respect.