Drivers to incur points for mobile phone use

Drivers caught using a handheld mobile phone will incur two penalty points from this Friday, the Department of Transport has said.

Any driver caught will have to pay a fixed charge of €60 within 28 days from date of issue of the Fixed Charge Notice by the gardaí and will have the penalty points added to their licence.

If the fine is not paid within that time, it increases to €90 for the next 28 days.

A driver who is convicted in court of the offence will have four penalty points on their licence and faces a fine of up to €2,000.

Using a mobile phone became a specific offence when the Road Traffic Act 2006 was enacted earlier this summer. However, it did not immediately become a penalty points offence. According to the Department, this was to allow drivers time to fit a hands free kit.

In a statement, Minister of Transport Martin Cullen said: "Road safety is paramount and the holding of mobile phones while driving is a feature that I want to stamp out."

Within the latest Road Traffic Act is provision for a driver to defend their use of a mobile phone if they are using it to contact the emergency services.

Mr Cullen said that 27 drivers are already off the road having accrued 12 penalty points and that a further 235 motorists were on ten penalty points, two away from being off the road for six months

He said more than 1,200 others have eight penalty points on their record, and 6,400 have six penalty points.