Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

While we do not know the full facts, the classic example was the recent head-on collision near Killarney involving a Minister's car. Fortunately everybody recovered from the accident. The Minister's car was a Volvo and it went up in flames after the accident. Volvo prides itself on the safety of its cars. I am not inferring that the Minister's car was speeding prior to the accident. However, if ever we wanted a lesson in road safety, this case should be taken as a classic example. A Minister driving to attend a meeting or a scheduled appointment should not be regarded as an emergency situation. It is often a question of logistics and arranging one's schedule in order to avoid having to travel at excessive speed.