As the Deputy will be aware, the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018, known as the Clancy Amendment, provides for penalties to be imposed on car owners who allow their vehicles to be used by an unaccompanied learner driver. The law provides for fines to be levied in such cases and gives Gardaí the power to seize their cars if being driven by unaccompanied drivers.
The Garda authorities have provided me with the below table, which has an annual breakdown by Garda division of the number of instances in which a vehicle was seized under Road Traffic legislation in circumstances of the vehicle being driven by a learner driver unaccompanied by a qualified driver.
I am advised by An Garda Síochána that given the large number of Garda districts, it is not possible to provide a breakdown to district level.
Garda Division
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021*
|
Cavan/Monaghan
|
115
|
70
|
30
|
Clare
|
16
|
19
|
-
|
Cork City
|
61
|
149
|
72
|
Cork North
|
62
|
72
|
58
|
Cork West
|
79
|
47
|
13
|
D.M.R. Eastern
|
66
|
81
|
49
|
D.M.R. North Central
|
108
|
132
|
42
|
D.M.R. Northern
|
167
|
181
|
103
|
D.M.R. South Central
|
104
|
187
|
91
|
D.M.R. Southern
|
264
|
315
|
127
|
D.M.R. Western
|
380
|
502
|
225
|
Donegal
|
76
|
72
|
43
|
Galway
|
45
|
56
|
16
|
Kerry
|
62
|
64
|
17
|
Kildare
|
211
|
361
|
169
|
Kilkenny/Carlow
|
49
|
79
|
27
|
Laois/Offaly
|
56
|
109
|
66
|
Limerick
|
153
|
110
|
63
|
Louth
|
47
|
95
|
30
|
Mayo
|
25
|
13
|
10
|
Meath
|
35
|
86
|
45
|
Roscommon/Longford
|
34
|
65
|
21
|
Sligo/Leitrim
|
19
|
22
|
13
|
Tipperary
|
58
|
100
|
47
|
Waterford
|
41
|
121
|
43
|
Westmeath
|
34
|
24
|
-
|
Wexford
|
56
|
125
|
47
|
Wicklow
|
86
|
100
|
58
|
* Figures for 2021 up to 30/04/2021
- Figures less than 10.
For the Deputy's information, the figures in the above table are based on incidents which occurred from 1 January 2019 to 30 April 2021, inclusive. All information contained in the above table is based upon operational data from the Pulse system as was available on 4 May 2021 and is liable to change.