Driver Penalty Points

**pete** · 18/10/2006, 10:17 AM

345,000 motorists get penalty points in four years

More than 345,000 motorists have reportedly been issued with penalty points in the four years since the system was introduced.

However, reports this morning say more than 70,000 of these drivers have not had the points added to their licence because garda� were unable to identify their licence number.

Most of these are believed to be either foreign visitors, people from the North or Irish citizens driving under a licence granted in another country.

This morning's reports say 35 drivers have already reached the disqualification total of 12 points.

Eleven of these motorists are based in Cork, while the next highest figure is in Dublin, where six drivers have been disqualified.

Breaking News

Have penalty points been a success? I don't think have made much if any difference.

Seems the lesson to learn is to get a UK driving licence & gardai can't give you any points.

**Dodge** · 18/10/2006, 10:24 AM

Nearly twice as many Corkies as Dubs? One of them has to be dahamsta...

**Terry** · 18/10/2006, 10:27 AM

where is the zero option on the poll?

**carrickharp** · 18/10/2006, 10:56 AM

Still zero thankfully, few narrow escapes with speed traps (don't speed to badly but they were in the usual soft target spots).

**the 12 th man** · 18/10/2006, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by dublinharp

Still zero thankfully, few narrow escapes with speed traps (don't speed to badly but they were in the usual soft target spots).

Same here,we'll see what happens when they implement the new danger zone speed traps.

**Strabane_Harp** · 18/10/2006, 12:06 PM

stopped 3 times in the free state this summer,

twice in donegal and once in monaghan, not once asked for any ID or details. Northern reg car and waived on after a brief chat.

**BohsPartisan** · 18/10/2006, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by Strabane_Harp

stopped 3 times in the free state this summer,

twice in donegal and once in monaghan, not once asked for any ID or details. Northern reg car and waived on after a brief chat.

Something for the it really bugs me thread!

**Dr.Nightdub** · 18/10/2006, 1:04 PM

Just saw the poll results, I am / was obviously the bad boy of foot.ie. Six at the moment, but two of them are gone from next month, seeing as I learned my lesson.

**dahamsta** · 18/10/2006, 1:30 PM

I have six too Nightdub, although thank god the first two will be gone before the next in-sewer-ants renewal. I've definitely slowed down, although I stick unreservedly to my belief that the problem with road deaths in Ireland is caused primarily by bad driving; which is in turn caused by bad driver training; which is in turn caused by bad driver testing.

adam

**Macy** · 18/10/2006, 6:00 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Seems the lesson to learn is to get a UK driving licence & gardai can't give you any points.

Cheaper car insurance too, pre the penalty point discounts. Obviously now you miss out on the discounts, so effectively paying the same as if you had 4 penalty points.

I have a UK licence, and keep it mainly because it has such a long renewal period and it gives me more vehicle classes. Not been stopped anyway, touch wood.

Originally Posted by the 12 th man

we'll see what happens when they implement the new danger zone speed traps.

If that list that was in the paper was accurate, it's a farce before it's started. Roads that are now bypassed (eg N8 Fermoy), roads that now have speed bumps, roads that have median crossings now removed (eg N4 Lucan), roads that have had one serious incident involving a joyrider that account for half the figures (eg N11 Belfield)

**tetsujin1979** · 19/10/2006, 9:28 AM

Still on zero points, although 2 really close calls. When the weekend crackdown on speeding was on a few months ago I drove to Limerick and kept under the speed limit the whole way for the first time, and still made it in roughly the same amount of time. Been keeping to it pretty much since then.

**pete** · 19/10/2006, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by the 12 th man

Same here,we'll see what happens when they implement the new danger zone speed traps.

I thought it was hilarious as well as being sad that the governemnt & gardai announced this with such fanfare. The current government been in power for 9 consequtive years & they only now decided that having speed cameras & gardai at the actually danger areas a good idea.

**Strabane_Harp** · 19/10/2006, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Something for the it really bugs me thread!

Cant blame me for the Gardai not doin there job. 2 times in the one day was for a broken tail light but still no questions asked despite tax disc bein absent.

Same goes for free state drivers in the north though, ye's have some reputation for inability to negiotiate roundabouts and traffic lights

**Block G Raptor** · 24/10/2006, 10:29 AM

Just on speeding I've come to the conclusion that the Garda Traffic Corps no longer work for the minister for justice they have been working for the minister for finance and the revenue commisioneers for years

**sonofstan** · 26/10/2006, 6:48 PM

2 - caught by a speed camera coming back from Longford after losing 0-1 - great day all over

**sligoman** · 26/10/2006, 9:41 PM

Zero too. Although I've only been on the road about a month

.

**BohsPartisan** · 26/10/2006, 9:53 PM

The real question is do people think the system is working. They don't seem to be stopping the carnage on the roadswhich is a real blight on our society. What action do people think would work?

**dahamsta** · 26/10/2006, 10:30 PM

Gods, ye love bandying that "carnage on our roads" line around, don't ye? Although I haven't seen mention of "lethal weapons" yet...

You want to stop the idiotic driving that happens on our roads? Cancel all the driving licences and force everyone to take a test again. A proper test. Impractical, yes, but it'll get the idiots that are causing all these crashes - and in the grand scale of things, as compared to other countries, it's not actually "carnage", fyi - off the roads. Call it an emergency measure, call it what you like, it's the only thing that will actually work. All the rest of the ideas that have been thrown around in the last few days - and the time before that there was a crash, and the time before that, and... - are just as stupid as the stupid drivers, and, more importantly, none of them will solve the problem properly.

Speed doesn't kill, bad driving kills.

adam

**dfx-** · 26/10/2006, 10:49 PM

Originally Posted by dahamsta

Gods, ye love bandying that "carnage on our roads" line around, don't ye? Although I haven't seen mention of "lethal weapons" yet...

I read the mirror of my opinion on the 'carnage' in a letter to the Irish Times yesterday I think.

It was about the Irish love for the term 'carnage on the roads'.

If someone is in a car at 150 kph or 300kph or 10,000 kph who can't handle the lethal weapon that that car could become at that speed, just what exactly do they expect to happen?

The Government to legislate this, that or the other, I suppose.

**BohsPartisan** · 26/10/2006, 10:53 PM

The people who drive dangerously are well capable of passing tests. They are on their best behaviour when there is an examiner beside them.
As for your point about speed not killing, well that depends on what road you are driving on. Doing twice the speed limit on a windey country road is bad driving as far as I'm concerned.