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Numbers not adding up for young drivers, says councillor

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A Kerry County Councillor has claimed that when it comes to motor insurance companies assessing the risk of young drivers, the numbers simply don’t add up and has called on the insurance industry to stop using young drivers as easy targets and to engage with recent data.

Data released to Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) shows that there were 268,885 people in the country on a provisional licence by November 30 last of which 128,889 (47.9%) were under the age of 30.

“However, when one looks at the amount of road traffic accidents in this time only 4.4% of the total amount are attributed to drivers with provisional licenses," he said. "This is even down from 6.4% on the previous year and it all points very clearly to better driving practices than is perceived by the general public which is mainly due to the unfair negativity toward young drivers.”

Cllr Healy-Rae stated that insurance companies are just picking figures at random when it comes to giving out insurance quotes to younger drivers who are already facing bills of up to €700 between lessons and licences ahead of tests.

The Castleisland LEA based representative who has recently called on the Government to introduce more driving testers to alleviate a backlog of learner drivers, which currently stands at over 271k nationwide as those who pass a test, can see a drop of almost 50% in their insurance quote.

“By keeping young drivers longer on the waiting list to get a test, they are being forced to pay higher insurance costs for longer and it is simply not fair.”

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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