New database to link car ownership to driving licences

A database linking the records of car ownership to driving licences is being established to ensure those caught committing traffic offences receive penalty points and fines.

The connection of the different sets of records would allow the Garda look up the ownership of vehicles which have been involved in offences but whose owners have not paid their fixed-charge offences.

Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald have agreed to the scheme, which will take an estimated three years to implement.

In a letter to the Public Accounts Committee, acting secretary general of the Department of Justice Noel Waters, said the move is a "longer-term measure" to "achieve optimum penalty-point endorsement as well as other benefits".

Targeted people

Ms Fitzgerald has also cited the initiative, which is mainly targeted at those who go to court to challenge their penalty points but do not bring their licence with them, in recent responses to parliamentary questions.

In a situation where a car is registered to two people, such as a husband and wife, it is understood that a similar situation to where penalty points are initially recorded would apply.

This would mean the points and fine would be registered against one person, and the other would have to step forward and take them if they were the driver who committed the offence.

Separate files

Currently, the National Vehicle Driver file is two separate databases, one for vehicles and another for people who hold driving licences. There is no link between the two.

A spokeswoman for Mr Donohoe said a “new master licence record is therefore proposed to provide a link between vehicle owners and holders of driving licences so that there will be a basis for a presumption as to the driver that is guilty of a road traffic offence involving any particular vehicle”.

The spokeswoman added the project has been agreed in principle but is subject to the development of a detailed business case and will cost an estimated €4 million over three years.

In his letter to the PAC, Mr Waters also said an estimated 80 per cent of fixed-charge notices issued for speeding and other offences are paid after the driver had received the notice.

He also said a working group set up in 2014 to examine the penalty points system is expected to report back by next July.

It has been providing updates to Mr Donohoe and Ms Fitzgerald.