Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 July 2016
823. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether a standard fixed penalty for breaking speed limits should be in proportion with the speed at which the limit was broken and that persons who are caught breaking the speed limit in excess of 20 km/h should receive harsher fines and penalties than someone who breaks the speed limit by less than 5 km/h. [22122/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, one of the main causes of road collisions on Irish roads is excessive and inappropriate speed. My Department, in conjunction with the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána and other stakeholders, is continuing to examine this area to identify measures that can be taken to bring about future reductions in fatalities and serious injuries.
The main goal of the penalty point system is to make drivers more aware of unsafe driving behaviour and by doing so, improve that behaviour. Motorists have a duty of care to other road users by complying with speed limits and other road traffic regulations. To offer a lesser penalty for speeding in certain circumstances would be to reward poor driver behaviour.
I have no plans in the near future to change the current system in relation to speeding offences. In fact, the last revision increased the number of penalty points for speeding offences.
