National: Gardaí prevent possible road tragedy as they stop 14-year-old driving car

Gardaí in Carlow say they prevented hat might have been a fatal crash after stopping a child driving a car at the weekend.

On Saturday night, Kilkenny Roads Policing members assisting their Carlow colleagues on duty near a filling station in Carlow last at around 11.30pm.

They noticed a vehicle exit the premises, no lights, no seatbelt, no NCT, and on stopping the driver found he was 14 years of age.

"Apparently he was taking the vehicle for a spin without the permission of its owner," gardaí said.

"This was possible because the car owner who was at the garage with his friends had left his keys in the ignition. There were all the ingredients present for a devastating fatal collision, not an accident as people so often say," they added.

"On this occasion, the dice rolled favourably and the outcomes are manageable," gardaí concluded.