Post #9450

UKRAINIAN WITH DRIVING EXEMPTIONS ON TRIAL FOR ALLEGEDLY CAUSING DEATH OF IRISH MAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC COLLISION When Ukrainians entered the country, the government decided that they could swap (without a test) their Ukrainian licence for a valid Irish one while in Ireland if granted temporary protection under section 60 of the International Protection Act. They could also drive on their Ukrainian licence. No one had to sit a driving test or take lessons or have tax, Insurance or an NCT certificate. All this was (and still is) utter madness. Being given refugee status does not mean you should be exempt from test, laws and rules that ensure the safety of all road users. One such refugee, who resides in Rigsdale House, Co. Cork, has pleaded not guilty to causing the death of an Irish man by dangerous driving. Bohdan Bezverkhyi (33) also left the scene of the accident after he crashed into 65-year-old sports journalist Paulie Palmer. Bezverkhyi failed to assist the man he collided with, who was half in and half out of his vehicle, and the sports journalist died days later of catastrophic spinal cord and brain injuries. The accused had been questioned by Gardai that day as to whether he was drinking, after he blocked a petrol forecourt for several hours with his grey BMW which had a flat tyre. Gardaí failed to breathalyse him and left the forecourt after the accused moved his car. The man had a foreign driving licence and likely had no tax, insurance or NCT given temporarily exemptions were given to Ukrainians when they entered the country with their vehicles. In the case of Bezverkhyi, he changed his tyre for one that was a speed restricted space saver tyre, and then allegedly drove towards Dunkereen crossroads in Innishannon at about 9.50am on 29 December 2022 in Innishannon. Co. Cork. Despite have a clear 150 metre all round view of a crossroads, he is charged with driving through it at high speed, breaching a stop sign as he did so and then he ploughed into Mr. Palmer. He denies dangerous driving, but “effectively admitted” in his messages to others that day that “it [the incident] was his fault.” The Ukrainian national also indicated to that he “panicked” and “left the scene”. Witnesses say the man had no English bar a couple of broken words. It would seem useful for road users to be able to read road signs and usually some English would be helpful in order to do that in an English-speaking country. But perhaps someday the government may have Ukrainian road signs too. Who would be surprised? A jury of 7 women and 5 men will decide Bezverkhyi's fate, just as the Irish state decided Paulie Palmer's when they failed to see it as fitting to ensure that Ukrainian refugees were competent, qualified road users who could be trusted to understand the rules of road safety in Ireland. They also failed to ensure of whether or not the cars of Ukrainians were roadworthy. Given they did not need a national car test. To this day, 2 years and 4 months after Ukrainians entered the country, their vehicles are still not required to have a valid tax disc (according to citizens information website) and many are seen without any discs at all on their windscreens. Meanwhile, the government harp on about road safety and road deaths, which rings very hollow indeed when we consider all of the above. By Susanne Delaney (Suzie D)