Madam, - The Meath school bus tragedy has prompted a huge public reaction - shock and profound sadness at the loss of five young lives, followed by anger at the realisation that the consequences of the accident need not perhaps have been so catastrophic.
The reaction of some of our public representatives has done us little service. It is hard to credit the extent of equivocation and spin from Government Ministers. Clearly they have not read the mood of the nation. It may be that their facile excuses are motivated by a sense of guilt for inaction in the past and a fear of admitting the inadequacy of safety measures introduced to date. Whatever the improvements in school transport safety in recent years, anything less than the best we can do is not enough when it comes to protecting the nation's children
However, as the five victims of this terrible event are laid to rest we must not allow ourselves to be distracted by the "blame game". If blame there be, we all share a portion of it. Ireland has the worst record in Europe for seatbelt compliance. Almost half our motorists regularly drive without the benefit of this simple but vital life-saving device. Daily we witness young children wandering around the interior of cars while in some cases their parents are belted in. So we would do well not simply to blame the politicians. They are our representatives and if we don't care, why should they?
Let us be big enough to admit that we have failed in the past and for the sake of the memory of the victims of the Meath bus crash let us resolve to do the best that we can do in the future. - Yours, etc,
Canon STEPHEN NEILL, Modreeny Rectory, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary.
Madam, - On the back of the Meath bus tragedy, and in typical Irish form, your readers' Letters have played the blame game, dumping blame on some favourite and yet ridiculous culprits. In no particular order they have fingered the "super wealthy", "tax exiles", the Minister for Transport, the electronic voting system, consultants and advisers. I'm surprised they didn't include George Bush.
In the end, a thorough investigation will determine the cause of this tragedy, and perhaps some necessary policy changes will be implemented as a result. But playing this pointless blame game only makes the finger-pointers feel better - certainly not the families of the victims. - Yours, etc,
JOSEPH SMITH, Astoria, New York USA.
Madam, - I drive both buses and trucks commercially, and I feel there is a need for a coherent multi-agency approach to the problems of the Irish road network.
What I find objectionable is the number of politicians from all parties who claim to know all the answers to the problems regarding large commercial vehicles, but all they are intent on doing is scoring points and making political gain.
Unless you have driven large vehicles in the dangerously overworked and inadequate Irish road system, you don't know what you are talking about. What is needed is a policy that has an input from the people who drive for a living, along with the other relevant bodies - the Garda, Automobile Association, NRA etc.
The crash in Meath was an accident waiting to happen. The coach in question was, I believe, unsuitable for school work and was designed for touring on much safer roads. - Yours, etc,
W. GERAGHTY, Knocknacarra Park, Salthill, Galway.
Madam, - Listening to various Ministers expressing their "commitment" to introduce seat belts and phase out three-for-two seating within three years reminds me of Bob Geldof's remark to Margaret Thatcher over the issue of VAT on the Band Aid record. Geldof was requesting the prime minister to drop the VAT. She remarked, "Bob, it is not quite as simple as that" - to which he replied, "Nothing is as simple as dying, prime minister". - Yours, etc,
CATHERINE O'CONNOR, Spawell Road, Wexford.