There's a children's song that goes "eight in the bed and little one said roll-over, and they all rolled over and one fell out, hit the floor and gave a shout. Please remember to tie a knot in your pyjamas...."
In the light of the tragic events in Buncranna, you have to ask who in their right mind thinks they can get eight in a bed let a lone a VW Passat.
To bring you up to speed if you're reading this from outside Ireland. On Sunday night last, the 11th of July. Eight men where killed in a two car collision on the Clonmany to Buncranna road in Co. Donegal, seven in one car and the single occupant driver of the other. Yes I said single occupant of the other vehicle, there were eight including the driver in the Passat!!!!! Sean Kelly the driver is in a serious condition in Letterkenny Hospital.
This has been described as the worst road accident since records began, bad accidents are not uncommon in Donegal which has the worst record for road accidents and fatalities in the country.
The main crux of this incident is that Sean Kelly the driver of the Passat thought he'd be ok driving a car with 8 passengers in it... Er I drive a Ford Fiesta and it feels crowded with two people and a dog, a Jack Russell who has the run of the back seat at that. Nowhere in the VW manual for a Passat will it ever say "fits four, but hey will easily take another four for good measure..."
They say the cause of the accident wasn't drink related.... Wrong!! The 8 men in the Passat had been out in Clonmany watching the world cup final and according news reports had decided to all pile into one car so as not to drink and drive... Ha! Tell that to the family of 66 year Hugh Friel the innocent party in the other car who was minding his own business on his way home from bingo. I also take into account that the driver of the Passat wasn't drinking, but one of the other loons in the car should have had the guts to stand up and say, listen I'll join Sean in the role of "Designated Dessie". But no the lure of getting tanked while watching the match was too strong when weighed up against the thought of free soft drinks all night courtesy of Coco-Cola or even going four ways on a cab. Ah but sure our "Seanie" has Daddy's great big Passat.
Another part of the story was that just before the fatal impact the Passat had been in a minor collision with another car, too all intents and purposes it failed to stop. This shows what was going on in the car and how uncontrollable it was with that weight in it. For example, there were probably two people in the passenger seat, inebriated, twiddling with the stereo and encroaching onto the drivers space. In the back were at least 5 again in a state of inebriation malarking around, they were all around the 19-22 age group, this wasn't exactly the local knitting clubs annual day trip. The driver concentration wouldn't have been anywhere near the minimum requirement for the roads in that part of the country, He also couldn't see out the rear window due heads, bodies, feet and arms. Peer pressure probably goaded him into fleeing the first scene, pity seven of them didn't get a chance to flee the second scene.
With five people in the back I'm surprised the car was able to get up enough speed to lose control, it's exhaust would've been rubbing on the road and god help it if they'd hit a pot-hole or speed bump. But as I've said and so have other commentators in the past, this generation are brought up behind wheels of high powered sports cars on their games consoles at home, what they never take into consideration is that no matter how much realism a software engineer or games designer puts into his product, in real life there is no restart button.
I'd hate to be in the driver Sean Kelly's shoes when he recovers, the Gardai will probably throw the book at him. Also He'll have the deaths of seven friends and one innocent man on his conscience.
What happens next? The towns of Clonmany and Buncranna will host eight funerals, as for more road safety campaigns, Donegal already has a large and committed Traffic corps, what they and the ongoing graphic media campaigns can't stop is stupid people trying to break a Guinness world record for squeezing people into a family saloon and then trying to drive....
