Sir, - As the schools will be opening again shortly, I would like to make an impassioned plea to parents and school principals. Please, please satisfy yourselves that all buses and coaches used for carrying children are driven by competent, licensed and insured persons, and that the vehicles are insured and roadworthy.
My own investigations in this area leave me very worried: there are some coaches operating in this country being used regularly to ferry youngsters to swimming lessons, football matches and discos that do not comply with basic requirements.
It behoves all of us to ask: who is driving our children? And I believe that school principals have a duty of care to insist that coach operators show evidence of their drivers' licence status, their coach insurance and current certificates of roadworthiness. While I realise that these measures could not prevent accidents happening, it would force the "cowboys" out of business. - Yours, etc., Zara Brady,
Rinnaknock, Co Galway.