15 drivers close to disqualification under penalty points system

Some 15 motorists are on the verge of losing their driving licences after having incurred 10 penalty points, just two short of the level needed for automatic disqualification.

New figures from the Department of Transport show that one motorist, whose licence was issued in North Tipperary, has already incurred 12 points and has been put off the road.

Most drivers are incurring points for speeding in zones with a speed limit of less than 50 m.p.h. More than one in three detected speeding were caught in 30 m.p.h. zones.

Those caught speeding in 60 m.p.h. zones or on motorways accounted for fewer than 2 per cent of the 2,914 motorists detected speeding between February 11th and March 8th. The new figures come at a time when deaths on Irish roads have increased close to the levels seen before penalty points were introduced in November 2002.

Since the beginning of the year 88 people have died on the Republic's roads, compared with 69 for the same period last year, when penalty points had just been introduced.

Some 126,021 penalty-point notifications have been issued to 117,387 motorists. A total of 109,428 drivers have incurred two points, 7,170 have four, 663 have six and 91 have eight.

Some 4,500 notifications have been issued in relation to the non-wearing of seat-belts. Just 19 motorists have been penalised for not having their vehicles insured.

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said a clear message had been sent out that drivers who continually offend will lose their licences.

"That is what is now beginning to happen, and with over 700 drivers now on six or more points it is clear that many more are gambling with automatic disqualification unless they slow down, obey the seat-belt laws and ensure their vehicles are insured."

He said he was confident that the roll-out of speed cameras nationwide in coming months and the introduction of full random breath-testing would significantly contribute to reducing deaths and serious injury on Irish roads.

"But it requires constant attention and the committed support of the Government, the Garda, the insurance industry and drivers to maintain the momentum that is bringing about a welcome change in driver behaviour and identifying the persistent offenders who endanger the lives of all road users."

Labour's spokeswoman on transport, Ms Róisín Shortall, said the first penalty-point disqualification was "no grounds for self-congratulations" on the part of the Government. In the 17 months it had taken for the first person to be disqualified, 420 people had died on Irish roads, she said.

Fine Gael's transport spokesman, Mr Denis Naughten, said the first disqualification under the penalty points scheme proved the system was failing, because it was supposed to be encouraging safer driving, instead of putting drivers off the road.