Fines for speeding, phone use, no belts set to double

From the article below, looks like the changes could be brought in very quickly. It's yet to be seen if they'll double the penalty points.

Personally I don't think fines will be a deterrent, doubling the points would probably be a better deterrent.

What do ye think?

RTE news : Driving fines set to double after spike in road deaths

http://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0726/1312249-road-safety/

Seth Brundle

Useless announcement without enforcement!

SteM

I agree that doubling points would be more of a deterrent but it doesn't really matter unless there's more enforcement. I've been driving the M50 & N11 off peak a lot recently and the amount of people doing at least 130 in the 100 zones is incredible, they know there's little chance of them being caught.

D3V!L

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387961#Comment_119387961

Exactly this.

I ride a quite large tall motorbike and I can see into car cabins quite easily. Phone use is at an all time high !! There seems to be zero fear of getting caught.

kirving

Seems to me like it's being brought in so that the government can say they're doing something.

Will it actually translate to fewer deaths on our roads?

Miscreant

I think the fines should be a percentage of the "offender's" monthly income. That would make people think twice if they were being hit with 10% for each offence. Get caught doing 3 offences, then that is 30% of a fine. The points can stay the same as I believe that 3 for speeding/mobile phone use/not wearing a seatbelt, is more than enough.

Also, I still can't believe there are people out there who will drive without a seatbelt on. Boggles the mind!

ronaneire

Way too many bad drivers on our roads.

People question how accidents happen on motorways, I was on the M7 Limerick bypass over taking a car, they decide to overtake the car in front of them and without looking correctly in their mirrors start to move into the lane I'm in. If Ihad my eye of the the road for one second it would be a different story.

It will always be speeding, phones or lack of wearing seatbelts, nut never pure careless stupidity that can cause and accident.

To me it just seems like another cash cow!

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387968#Comment_119387968

There's quite a bit of "shooting fish in a barrel" about nailing motorists on motorways unless they introduce average speed cameras, which is a bit pointless on the M50 most of the time. It's actually currently of greater urgency to address real problem spots, where there are a lot more road risks.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119387996#Comment_119387996

I think those are called "Days" fines, so speeding would equal x number of days of your income. It's a good idea

zg3409

It's the usual RSA making changes that don't save lives. Speed vans on the safest roads in Ireland (motorways) , on straight national roads, on roads with crazy low speed limits. It's sabre rattling and trying to scare drivers without proper enforcement. General sneaking over the limit is not the issue. Traffic levels are back to normal.

Proper hidden speed checks, seatbelt checks, proper dangerous driving enforcement, proper phone use enforcement.

I used to drive all over Ireland during office hours and there is hardly any enforcement anywhere. The speed vans can often been seen and drivers jam on with plenty of time before camera can get them. Yesterday I passed one but I was flashed at least 6 times in advance by oncoming vehicles. It was on a broad safe stretch of road.

The RSA making a change that has no impact, except instead of spending money on enforcement actually makes money in fines, while not stopping issue. Money grabbing is usual motorists complaints and how is this different?

thinkabouit

Look at all the laws, fines, technology and money thrown at this over the years.

They have got good results but no matter what ya do, there's always gonna be idiots who will do idiot thing's.

The minority causing problems for the majority again.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058256099/fines-for-speeding-phone-use-no-belts-set-to-double

You are constantly on here looking to get speed limits reduced and many have been reduced by a lot.

As I pointed out to you on the other threads, reduced speed limits might not result in less deaths and could in fact lead to more deaths.

It might be frustrating, but reduced limits with zero enforcement will likely lead to more reckless drivers doing silly things and ultimately more deaths.

Instead of always focusing on speed, we should be looking at the real problem areas and addressing those to stop accidents.

Either way, we've reduced lots of speed limits and the official data is not showing less deaths.

monkeyactive

Whatever they do they need to start adjusting those fines to income , an €80 hit for one person is a much bigger sting than it is for another.

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388113#Comment_119388113

Sure, but the fines are for breaking the law so there's an easy answer to avoiding that sting. There's no dispute that the activities listed for increases are an accident risk.

magicbastarder

it'd be very funny if they brought in a sliding scale of licence revocation. 12 points; not allowed drive. above 9 points - not allowed drive anything with an engine bigger than 1l or 100HP. above 6 points - not allowed drive anything bigger than 1.5l or 120HP. above 3 points - not allowed drive anything bigger than 2l or 200HP...

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388075#Comment_119388075

Where are these crazy low speed limits? I've seen drivers drive at the speed limit and above rather than at a safe speed but haven't witnessed these crazy low speed limits. Same as people I hear complaining they can't drive at 30kmph or below but manage to safely get in and out of their driveway/car park or survive rush hour traffic.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388099#Comment_119388099

i'd have thought there's not nearly enough technology thrown at this over the years; the only thing we have is speed cameras. garda cars should be equipped with cameras constantly scanning number plates and running them against insurance and tax databases.

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388017#Comment_119388017

It's only "shooting fish in a barrel" because so many people do it. Motorway driving is an indicator of how people drive in general here imo, happy to break the rules when it suits them.

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388156#Comment_119388156

You can drive at 30kph but it takes a fair bit of practice. The real challenge to it is that it is not just the brief time it takes to pull out of a driveway and some 30 kph zones can take a good few minutes to get through. As for the crazy low speeds people are talking about there are plenty of examples of wider roads with 60 kph on them just as there are still very narrow word with 80 kph on them.

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388186#Comment_119388186

That's not my experience but I guess it probably depends on the location. I think it is a small subset of drivers who constantly misbehave. You can have a whole convoy doing 130 kph and above on a motorway and meet some of those same drivers observing a 50 or 60 kph limit.

Stone Deaf 4evr

My kids are just hitting the age where they could be trusted to cycle to school, however, I have a major fear associated with it.

The school is not 1km from my house, but theres a crossroads with traffic lights that has to be passed through.

Every time, without fail, when I drive through this junction, most of the waiting traffic have the heads down, looking at their lap, and presumably their phones. The 30-40 seconds it takes for the lights to change, is long enough that these dullards get bored and have to check twitter / insta or some other inane nonsense.

There are junctions like this across the country, and without enforcement, they can double, triple, multiply x 10 the fines and points, it'll make no difference.

I'm not sure if it needs the creation of some sort of policing subset of traffic officers , who's sole duty is enforcement of these kind of things.

whisky_galore

Someone who drives without a seatbelt these days needs a slap upside the head.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388100#Comment_119388100

You are constantly on here looking to get speed limits reduced and many have been reduced by a lot.

Eh? This is the first post I've ever made on this forum related to speed and it's based on a govt announcement.

The stats are pretty clear as regards speeding and deaths

_ptashek_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058256099/fines-for-speeding-phone-use-no-belts-set-to-double

Typical Irish government knee-jerk reaction. As if fines will change the driving style of people who never properly learn how to drive in a multitude of road conditions.

I've driven many thousands of km in other countries, and what I see every day on Irish roads is a horror show of driver incompetence.

Making incompetent drivers drive slower doesn't make them any less dangerous.

Subzero3

Nothing will chance, people will just pay more. Its a form of tax so the government can spend on other money wasting things.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388190#Comment_119388190

Anyone who can't safely drive at a prescribed speed limit should have their licence revoked, end of. It's literally the most basic of requirements

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388232#Comment_119388232

You can just get off the bicycle, cross the junction as a pedestrian then continue your journey.

I assume you then say there's no way for a pedestrian to cross it.

Some routes are viable, some routes aren't.

benny79

I am not a speeder mostly watch my speed and limits of the road. I would class myself as a safe driver. I have been done a fair few times speeding. Now for those of you who question this! its always been on a motorway where I am either over taking and forget to reduce speed or speed goes up without me realising. Lets be honest in most modern cars you dont notice the different from doing 120 kph or 130kph unless you keep an eye on indicator (which I do mostly) and always drop back down under limit. But the speed limits are ridiculous. The naas road is 100 kph until you get to the ball in Naas then it goes up to 120kph (both 3 lanes) Plus the points stay on your licence for 3 years which is a long time.. I have a big commute to work mostly motorway and always pass 2 speeding vans a day.. There a cash cow imo.

bad driving an inexperience cause's crashes and yes speeding to some extent but most crashes on the naas road which are a regular occurrence are from tail gating! I see it everyday.

Miscreant

If only we had some sort of dedicated Garda unit to police the roads.... We could call it the "Traffic Corp" or something catchy like that!

I'll start writing to my local TD with the idea......

Witcher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388605#Comment_119388605

A 'cash cow' that costs more to operate than it brings in...

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119388190#Comment_119388190

If it takes practice to drive at 30kmph then that driver shouldn't be in the road. How do they deal with rush hour, older agricultural machinery, pedestrians and cyclists on rural roads. As for the 60kmph on wider roads, I presume you mean somewhere like the N11. This is because although it doesn't feel like it, it is actually a built up residential area with lots of schools. The 80kmph roads in the country are only an issue because some morons can't tell the difference between the word limit and target. Anyway, rant over.