What do people who drive for a living think about penalty points for speeding? Hauliers and taxi drivers give Olivia Kelly their verdict on the new system
The odd speeding ticket is an occupational hazard for those who drive for a living. A long- distance haulier might be tempted to ignore a 30mph limit if it means getting a higher place in the queue at the port, and a taxi driver could be persuaded to put the foot down for a passenger in a hurry. Paying the fine is, perhaps, worth it for the saving in time.
Now, however, drivers have more than a monetary sanction to contend with. With the introduction of penalty points, motorists face the threat of losing their licences. For professional drivers, that could mean losing their jobs.
Truckers, waiting in the long queues in Dublin port, this week gave their views on how the new system will affect their work.
"I think it's about time, it's especially needed around Slane," said a driver from Northern Ireland who makes a regular trip from Belfast to Cork. "We have the same thing in the North and it works fine. You can do your run without speeding; the only thing that will get to you is motorists being impatient."
Another driver who does a Dublin to Cork run also felt car drivers were the main speeding culprits. "We'll have guys in cars passing us out at 50 mph or 60 mph on 40 mph roads. I think it's the cars that will be hit in a big way by points, not us."
Safeguards fitted to lorries make it impossible to do excessive speeds, one trucker said. "The lorry won't go more than 50 mph, but if you're in a 30 mph zone it's almost impossible not to break the limit and that's when a lot of speed cameras will get you. I've only had one speeding ticket in 15 years, but I could get caught tomorrow." However, he still felt the new system was a good idea. "People are taking awful risks on the road, maybe this will stop them."
Another veteran, who has been driving lorries since 1976, felt points would have the greatest impact on younger drivers. "It's the boy racers who are going to feel it most; people who've been driving longer don't drive as fast. Saying that, the threat of points would bother me, but I think after a while it will save us on insurance."
One driver in his early 20s failed to see any merit in the system. "It's a joke. You can't get from A to B if you stay in the speed limit and points aren't going to change that." He said he had no fears about losing his licence. "I don't give coppers my real name. I keep two licences and only one of them is ever handed over."
Another young driver, from Dundalk, was more worried about losing his licence. "I'd never drive very fast, but five or 10 miles above the limit can be enough. I've had five or six tickets in the last three years, if I lost my licence there's nothing else I could do, I've no other qualifications."
Taxi drivers were also concerned about the effect penalty points might have on their livelihoods. "Driving at 30 mph at 3 a.m. can be frustrating, and it's pointless really," said one Dublin cabbie.
Another said that taxi drivers had come to recognise the roads they could speed on and the ones that were checked. "You just have to be careful. I've been driving a long time and have never had a ticket, but if the points save one life, it's a good thing," he said.
"I agree with the points, but what I don't agree with is giving the results of the points to insurance companies," said another. "It's said that it's [to allow\] safer drivers to get cheaper insurance, but insurance is never going to come down in this country. If I get fined, I get fined, I've no problem paying it, but if insurance companies are adding extra to my insurance, that's not fair," he said.
"I probably drive four or five times more than ordinary drivers and on a good clear road I might go five or 10 mph above the limit, but there are checkpoints where motorists are just cannon fodder," he added.