Taoiseach's car involved in minor crash

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, was involved in a minor traffic collision during rush-hour traffic in Dublin yesterday evening on the first day of the new penalty points regime.

It happened when his driver went through a red light in order to make way for a Garda patrol car with its lights flashing and ended up colliding with a car coming from the other direction.

According to the Garda Press Office the Taoiseach's top-of-the-range 2006 Mercedes was stopped in traffic at a red light on the North Circular Road near Ballybough at 5.15pm when the incident happened.

A spokesman said that when a Garda car with its lights flashing came up behind the Taoiseach's car his driver went through the light in order to let it pass.

However, a woman driving through the green light on the other road ran into the Taoiseach's car at low speed. Nobody was injured in the accident. The Taoiseach, who was sitting in the front seat of the State car, jumped out to check if the woman was all right but was reassured that she had not suffered any injury. Both cars suffered what was described as "minor damage".

Because of a regulation that any Garda car involved in an accident has to be examined by a sergeant before it can be moved, the Taoiseach was unable to continue his journey in the State car.

Instead a Garda car had to be summoned to take him on to Government Buildings for a scheduled meeting in his department.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach confirmed last night that he had been involved in a minor accident.

The Taoiseach took possession of the Mercedes S350 car, which normally retails for about €123,000, in April of this year.