Mr. White attempted to rent a car at Dublin Airport in May 2006 but was shocked to hear that he must pay a €25 per day charge because of his age. Upon investigating he then found out that he will be considered too old to rent a car at all on his next visit to Ireland.

Mr. White then contacted the Equality Authority to vent his frustrations at a ruling he deemed to be completely unfair and discriminative against people of his age. After talks with Irish Car Rentals Ltd they agreed to drop the extra charges for older drivers and outright ban on drivers over 75. Older drivers (over 75) will now have to undergo a safety assessment which will take into account their past driving history.

Niall Crowley (Equality Authority) welcomed the decision saying age limits must be looked at across the board and personal circumstance should be taken into account when making decisions. Mr. White was said to be delighted with the outcome of the case.

Eamon Timmins of Age action praised Mr. White for standing up for the rights of the older generation.

2.Car hire rates work out cheaper if you book the car for a longer time period. This is worth keeping in mind if you are planning a long holiday and are unsure if you can afford a car for the entire time

3.The type of car you book plays a major role in your car hire cost. If you book an economy car then rates can work out quite cheap however there are also bargains to be found in the higher end of the car hire market

4.Another money saving tip is to book your car hire at off peak holiday times

5.If you are arriving at the Airport, It makes sense to pick up your car at that airport. Don’t opt for collecting it in the city as you will incur extra transport charges trying to get there to collect it

6.What kind of trip are you planning? Business or Family? This is an important consideration when deciding what type of car to rent i.e. if you are a family with lots of luggage, don’t rent a two seater

7.Be careful to drop your car hire back on the allotted day. Even if you arrive first thing the next day you will be charged for another day

8.If possible drop your car hire off at the same location you picked it up to cut costs