[PR] More Than 140,000 Drivers Have Penalty Points

Victor

http://www.transport.ie/viewitem.asp?id=5415&lang=ENG&loc=1078

More Than 140,000 Drivers Have Penalty Points- Over 1,000 Have 6 Points Or More On Licence
3 June 2004

CARELESS DRIVING QUALIFIES FOR POINTS FROM TOMORROW IN ADDITION TO SPEEDING, SEATBELTS & NO INSURANCE

The Minister for Transport, Séamus Brennan T.D., today (Thursday, 3rd June 2004) released the latest statistics for penalty points, which show that more than 140,000 drivers have now accumulated points on their licences.

Minister Brennan also confirmed that penalty points would apply to careless driving with effect from tomorrow (Friday, 4th June), making it the fourth offence to qualify under the points system. Penalty points currently apply to speeding, seatbelt wearing offences and driving without insurance. The addition of careless driving means that detections by the Gardai of drivers breaching the law by driving carelessly will involve a court hearing and if convicted, 5 points will be endorsed on the licence record of the driver involved.

Minister Brennan said that while there had been a setback in terms of the numbers of deaths and injuries since the beginning of this year it should be noted that the number of fatalities in 2003, at 338, was the lowest on record since 1963. The statistics also show that in the 19-month period since penalty points were introduced (November 2002-May 2004) there have been 533 road deaths compared with 644 deaths for the 19 months (April 2001-October 2002) before the introduction of the points system, a reduction of 111 fatalities.

The Minister said: While penalty points is having a significant impact, the level of deaths on our roads that is occurring is unacceptable and can not be tolerated. The extension of the system to careless driving is intended to instil greater caution in drivers, improve behaviour on the roads and result in a positive influence on our overall road safety performance. It should have a significant deterrent effect on drivers. Careless driving is a broadly based offence that allows Gardai scope to include any specific behaviour by drivers that in their opinion constitutes careless driving and therefore a danger to other road users.

Minister Brennan said that careless driving was being introduced to coincide with the June Bank Holiday weekend when there is an increased risk on the roads. He urged all road users to drive carefully this weekend so that the tragic loss of life that we have witnessed over the past number of weeks will not be repeated.

Minister Brennan expressed his alarm at the fact that some motorists are continuing to behave in a reckless way and are gambling with their own lives, and in many cases the lives of their children, by not obeying the seat belt laws. The latest statistics show that over 6,000 penalty point notices were issued to drivers who were not wearing a seatbelt. In addition 338 notices were issued to drivers for non-wearing of seatbelts by rear seat passengers under 17 years and 215 notices were issued to drivers for non wearing by front seat passengers under 17 years.

The latest statistics for penalty points show that up to the end of May 2004:

153,312 penalty point notifications have issued
141,175 drivers have incurred penalty points
1,207 drivers have received 6 points or more
129,374 drivers have received 2 points
10,542 have 4 points
52 have 5 points
1,024 have 6 points
3 have 7 points
151 have 8 points
1 has 9 points
27 have 10 points
1 driver has 12 points and has been disqualified from driving for 6 months

Minister Brennan said: The majority of drivers have remained on 2 points which seems to indicate that most drivers are not recurringly committing road traffic offences and that the imposition of points has the desired effect of changing driver behaviour. The consequences of losing a licence becomes a reality for drivers who have incurred points and they think twice before committing further breaches which will put them closer to the 12 point threshold.

ENDS.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/3323330?view=Eircomnet

Over 153,000 drivers have penalty points
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 3rd June, 2004


More than 153,000 motorists in the State now have penalty points on their driving licences, according to the latest figures from the Department of Transport.

The Minister for Transport said the points system was having a significant impact on driver behaviour but the number of deaths on the roads could not be tolerated.

Mr Brennan said he believed the penalties would continue to instill greater caution amongst drivers.

"The consequences of losing a licence becomes a reality for drivers who have incurred points," he said.

"And they think twice before committing further breaches which will put them closer to the 12-point threshold."

Some 153,312 drivers were issued with points up to the end of May. The majority of those who have points, a total of 146,498, received them for speeding. Over 6,000 motorists now have points for not wearing a seatbelt, while 215 were penalised for carrying a child as a front-seat passenger without a seatbelt. Just 56 motorists received penalty points for having no insurance, which carries five penalty points.

Mr Eddie Shaw, chairman of the National Safety Council said: "Many drivers in this country believe that it is acceptable to drive at a few miles per hour over the speed limit. This is a dangerous attitude as there is no such thing as safe speeding."

Victor

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/06/08/story151282.html

Gardaí urged to target black spots for points
08/06/2004 - 08:47:35

Gardaí must be able to show where penalty points are being imposed on Ireland’s roads, it was urged today.

Progressive Democrat Senator Tom Morrissey said gardaí confirmed to him that there are no records of the locations where penalty points are being imposed.

“If the National Roads Authority and the National Safety Council were producing figures of where our accident black spots are in this country, then I believe that is where the penalty points and the garda resources should be imposed and deployed,” Mr Morrissey said.

Recent statistics have shown more than 140,000 people have had penalty points placed on their licences.

Mr Morrissey said gardaí should examine the statistics and deploy resources in known accident black spot areas.

He said: “Driver behaviour has not changed dramatically. It has changed to a certain extent but speeding still continues.”

Mr Morrissey said he will be asking gardaí to start correlating the amount of penalty points which are imposed in black spot areas.