Over 300,000 drivers escape penalty points

NEW FIGURES show more than 300,000 drivers have escaped having penalty points recorded on their licences in spite of committing motoring offences.

Statistics from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) show that at the end of December last, 766,027 drivers had received penalty points, accounting for one in every three drivers on the road.

The figures show more than two out of every five drivers penalised – or 302,894 motorists – had no penalty points recorded on their licences as they were holders of non-Irish driving licences.

Calling for the loophole to be closed, Fianna Fáil transport spokesman Timmy Dooley said: “The figures show that there is a large cohort where the law cannot be enforced in terms of penalty points and, as a result, these drivers should face heftier financial penalties – and I will be tabling an amendment to the current legislation to that effect.”

AA public affairs manager Conor Faughnan said there was a gap in terms of ensuring non-Irish licence holders received penalty points. He felt “reassured” by the statistics showing the penalty points system was resulting in improved driver behaviour.

He said the figures showed 567,816 drivers received fines relating to two penalty point offences (including drivers with non-Irish licences). The number with six penalty points was 16,087.

An RSA spokeswoman said there was currently “no mutual recognition of penalty points systems across the EU. This means that an Irish licence holder driving in another country cannot be assigned penalty points on their licence and vice versa.”

She said under the legislation fines do apply but penalty points cannot be applied to a foreign licence, but are held on temporary record on the National Driver File by the Department of Transport.