Bad driving and dangerous vehicles were as much to blame for road accidents as speed and drink, a District judge said yesterday. Judge Michael Pattwell said there had been a lot of talk recently about the causes of the carnage on Irish roads and while he was firmly behind moves to curb excessive speeds and drink/driving, there were other reasons for the mounting toll of accident victims.
"It's also about drivers overtaking on white lines and blind bends, it's about bald tyres and defective lighting and lack of consideration for other people." He was speaking at Midleton District Court where he fined a motorist who failed to appear £1,164 for summonses relating to tax, defective stop-lights and a bald tyre. A three-month driving ban and an endorsement were also imposed for the defective lights' charge.