Vehicles and licences to be linked in points clampdown

_Kaiser_

Saw this this morning...

Every vehicle on the road will be linked directly to the driver's licence for the first time, in a radical overhaul designed to ensure that penalty points effectively punish those who have committed motoring offences.

A new central register will be accessible to the Courts Service, the gardaí and the Road Safety Authority (RSA), which is responsible for the allocation of penalty points.

It would see car owners being required to provide licence details when they purchase a car and each time they transfer ownership - so that a vehicle would always be linked with its driver or drivers.

Apparently a response to the "loophole" of drivers not bringing their license to court so they can't have penalty points enforced.. something I would have thought wasn't possible until it came out a few weeks ago, bearing in mind:

Although it is an offence not to produce your licence in court, punishable by a fine of up to €2,000, the law is regularly flouted and until recently was not being enforced by gardaí.

Seems like more of an AGS problem so really!

Not sure how this'll work with multiple users of a car or giving this info to the prefab-style dealers.

dodzy

"Sorry judge but I forgot me license", apparently resulted in non-enforcement of penalty points.

I'm sure there are European neighbours reading the articles discussing the 'loophole' and thinking (rightly so) how we are a right laughing stock.

Only in Ireland.

the dark phantom

It won't be done right so don't worry bout it.

SpaceTime

So hang on?
What happens if they're driving someone else's car? Eg a shared family car?

Surely name, address and DOB is enough to get the licence looked up?

Also if you're appearing in court, the judge already has your details as you've received a summons.

He/she doesn't actually write the penalty points on the back of your licence!

All they need is to send details of the penalty points to the licensing authority along with your details.

Also, one would assume that if you're stopped the Garda must record your driving licence details and licence number ?!

I just can't see why this is complicated at all!

dodzy

SpaceTime wrote: »

All they need is to send details of the penalty points to the licensing authority along with your details.

Also, one would assume that if you're stopped the Garda must record your driving licence details and licence number ?!

You would think, yes.

However.......

"Between January 2014 and March 2015, more than 20,000 motorists were summonsed before the courts. 72% did not bring their licences to court, and therefore did not have the points registered."

SpaceTime

dodzy wrote: »

You would think, yes.

However.......

"Between January 2014 and March 2015, more than 20,000 motorists were summonsed before the courts. 72% did not bring their licences to court, and therefore did not have the points registered."

That's just ridiculous. Literally ridiculous and deserves much ridicule!

Wibbs

dodzy wrote: »

You would think, yes.

However.......

"Between January 2014 and March 2015, more than 20,000 motorists were summonsed before the courts. 72% did not bring their licences to court, and therefore did not have the points registered."

You really couldn't make that nonsense up. So now, rather than address the actual issue, that already has legal procedure in place to prosecute they bring in the usual kneejerk daftness that muddies the water further. Jesus.

SpaceTime

I almost guarantee this will end up with someone being done for a driving offence and Mammy or worse, the ex-partner or someone else getting the penalty points and all sorts of legal chaos ensuing!

Special Circumstances

They are going to make Joe Soap, desperate to get rid of his old car to afford the new one, police this?

"I couldn't possibly sell you this car, as I have a niggling doubt about the authenticity of the details and ID you have provided"

Unless this involves both seller and buyer getting the transfer witnessed/authorised at the tax office or a gardai station this just another layer of unenforceable farce smeared over the steaming mound of BS legislation in Ireland.

ironclaw

Has a bit of a wider implication this IMO. If the car, and I presume that's the Reg and VIN pair, are linked to an individual in a tighter manner, that means the tax is much easier to tie back to the registered owner. This could also be a workaround for the current lax tax laws. But I have no idea how one is supposed to present and ensure the license details are correct in a private sale e.g. What if the car is being sold for export and you need to fill in license details?

As said, will be badly implemented but I worry when complexity is introduced to any public service sector.

cadaliac

Just because the owner has a licence tied to the car, that won't stop other drivers driving said car.
Currently, owner of car A could be anyone without a licence.
Now that's changing. Traffic and motoring offences will still be applied to the driver, not the owner. That's all insurance rules anyway.
I agree that enforcement is the way forward for "sorry, forgot me licence, boss" brigade but I think this is a step in the right direction.

UnknownSpecies

What was the exact way people were exploiting that loophole? I thought it was just a case of leaving your license at home, but I have a friend who tried it and didn't get away with it. The only thing we could think of was that the address on his license is the exact same as his current home address. He was given double points too after the summons.

dodzy

dorgasm wrote: »

What was the exact way people were exploiting that loophole? I thought it was just a case of leaving your license at home, but I have a friend who tried it and didn't get away with it. The only thing we could think of was that the address on his license is the exact same as his current home address. He was given double points too after the summons.

Courtesy of the Sindo......

I've highlighted the area you have questioned. As expected, it's laughable.

"Some 89pc of convicted motorists failed to produce their licences in Kerry, Kilkenny and Sligo.

The licence numbers that were recorded by the Courts Service were subsequently notified to the National Vehicle and Driver File so the points could be applied to licences.

The Courts Service said that in cases where licence numbers were not provided, the Road Safety Authority undertakes "a matching exercise to match the conviction with a specific driving licence".

However, the Department of Transport admitted: "It is not always possible to achieve a match and in these cases penalty points are not assigned to individual driving licence records."

The extent to which matches were not found was not disclosed.

Data on the number of convicted motorists failing to supply their licences was revealed in response to a series of parliamentary questions tabled by independent TD Tommy Broughan.

It showed that while 28,387 motorists were convicted of penalty point offences in district courts over the 15-month period, just 8,059 had their licence number recorded so the points could be applied to that licence."

UnknownSpecies

Laughable is the only word really.

Atlantic Dawn

SpaceTime wrote: »

That's just ridiculous. Literally ridiculous and deserves much ridicule!

The simple solution would be don't bring your licence and you spend a mandatory month in jail.

Redderneck

Should be an automatic contempt of court right enough.

I'd add a slightly different tack to it though. When such a punter has representation, hold the attending legal representative in contempt also for aiding and abetting the wasting of court time.

Special Circumstances

Redderneck wrote: »

Should be an automatic contempt of court right enough.

I'd add a slightly different tack to it though. When such a punter has representation, hold the attending legal representative in contempt also for aiding and abetting the wasting of court time.

Hahaha that'll be the day!