Penalty Points System.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 May 2004

Tuesday, 4 May 2004

Questions (36, 37, 38, 39)

Jimmy Deenihan

Question:

51 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Transport the plans he has to review the penalty points system. [11011/04]

Paul Kehoe

Question:

60 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Transport when he intends to roll out the other offences under the penalty points system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11020/04]

Joe Costello

Question:

61 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Transport his views on whether the increased number of road deaths recorded in 2004 is due in part to drivers paying less heed to the threat of penalty points and therefore ignoring speed limits; his plans to extend the penalty points system to cover an increased number of offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12488/04]

Emmet Stagg

Question:

73 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Transport the number of drivers who have been disqualified from driving under the penalty points system up to the latest date for which figures are available; when he expects to expand the number of offences for which penalty points can be awarded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12521/04]

Written answers

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 51, 60, 61 and 73 together.

Penalty points are being applied to the driving licence records of those convicted of speeding, seat belt wearing and insurance offences, and to those who pay a fixed charge to the Garda, in the case of speeding and seat belt wearing offences, in order to prevent the instigation of court proceedings.

The full application of the penalty points system will be achieved when the relevant IT systems being developed by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Garda are completed. The question of reviewing the system will be considered against the background of its full operation.

It is now one year and five months since penalty points were first introduced. At 29 April 2004 over 144,000 drivers had received penalty points since the introduction of the system in October 2002, including one driver who had reached the 12 point threshold which leads to automatic disqualification. I intend to introduce penalty points for careless driving with effect from 1 June 2004. This measure should have a further positive influence on the driving behaviour of those who have little regard for road traffic law.

A detailed commentary on the information available regarding causes of fatal road collisions to date this year will be prepared by the National Roads Authority, NRA, based on reports from the Garda Síochána and will be set out in the NRA road accident facts 2004 publication. It would be premature for me to speculate as to the contributory causes for those collisions.