Northern cars used to avoid penalties

AN INCREASING number of motorists from the Republic are driving Northern Ireland registered cars in an attempt to escape penalty points, the Dáil has heard.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said the penalty point problem was so great that authorities in the Republic, Northern Ireland and Britain were considering “mutually allowing the authorities to stop and seize cars until substantial fines are paid”.

Mr Dempsey confirmed that of 192,686 cases where penalty points could not be applied, 142,588 were because foreign driving licences were presented.

The Minister said “the number of Northern-registered cars here being driven by Republic of Ireland drivers appears to be increasing by the day”.

Labour transport spokesman Tommy Broughan, who raised the issue, said it was “appalling” that almost 200,000 motorists out of 600,000 who were guilty of penalty points offences had escaped.

“Some 31 per cent had no fines or points imposed on their licences.”

The public “thinks it is ridiculous and it makes the penalty points system a farce”. The State vehicle register, the National Vehicle Driver File only contains records of Irish driving licence holders and records offences or penalty points for Irish licences only.

The Road Traffic Bill is “currently being finalised” and Mr Dempsey said he would introduce a number of amendments which “should improve some matters for driver records”, including consideration for the seizure of vehicles.

Fine Gael spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said he travelled regularly on the M1 and it was always the case that “the car behind, speeding aggressively and dangerously will have a Northern Ireland registration.

“Every single day people’s lives are at risk because of drivers from the North coming down here and driving in the most dangerous fashion.

“They have no fear because no penalty will be imposed on them. I am aware that the same is true of drivers from the South in Northern Ireland,” said Mr O’Dowd.