Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 November 2020
145. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of registered vehicle owners penalised per year for allowing their vehicle to be driven by an unaccompanied learner driver under the Clancy Amendment since the amendment came into effect on 22 December 2018; the fines imposed per year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37146/20]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, known as the Clancy Amendment, seeks to penalise car owners who knowingly allow their vehicles to be used by an unaccompanied learner driver. The law allows the owners of these vehicles to be fined and gives Gardaí the power to seize their cars if being driven by unaccompanied drivers.
The below table has been furnished to me by the Garda authorities and shows the number of incidents where a vehicle was seized under the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act:
|
Year |
|
|
2019 |
2513 |
|
2020* |
2701 |
*Up to 31 October 2020
I am further informed that Fixed Charge Notices (FCN) are also issued for learner drivers unaccompanied by a qualified driver. The number of FCN's issued to learner drivers unaccompanied by a qualified driver are outlined in the table below.
|
Year |
FCNs issued |
|
2019 |
6145 |
|
2020* |
5367 |
*Up to 31 October 2020
All information contained in the tables above are based upon operational data from the PULSE and FCPS systems as was available on 16 November 2020 and is liable to change.
