LETTER: Upcoming legislation could make unfair law

SIR – A new law, whereby the owner of a car driven by an unaccompanied learner driver is liable to suffer very serious charges when the vehicle is not the property of the driver, is soon to introduced, we are told. I feel such an extreme measure is ill-advised because it is too encompassing.

It has been reported after a recent survey that learner drivers are no more liable to cause fatal accidents than are users with a full licence. What extra methods of punishments are planned for full licence drivers who cause accidents while using another’s vehicle where death and serious injury are the result? Does a bad driver in such a case have less of a case to answer, and the owner not also held to be culpable?

Anyone who is unfortunate and is involved in a traffic accident does not mean it is the case of deliberate actions which led to such incidents. Accidents can happen to any driver, regardless of the licence.

The nature of traffic accidents rarely should be viewed in an overall criminal context. It is proven that learners are no more dangerous on the road than other drivers.

There is a big lack of proportion involved in the upcoming legislation, which possibly could make for an unfair law.

Robert Sullivan,

Bantry.