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Do’s and Don’ts at Road Traffic Accidents
Remember these Tips if you are involved in a Road Traffic Accident
How the Irish Penalty Points System works The Irish Penalty Points system has been introduced on a phased basis with speeding the first driving offence to be covered. Under the system a driver accumulating 12 points within a 3-year period will automatically lose their driving licence for 6 months. For more information visit www.penaltypoints.ie
These main features are:
A system of fixed charges have been introduced to replace the former "on the spot" fine system.
A driver caught speeding will have two penalty points endorsed on their driving licence and a fine of €80. This fine increases to €120 if not paid within 28 days.
A driver may challenge the speeding violation in Court. However, if found guilty of the Offence, four penalty points will be endorsed on their licence and they will be subject to a Maximum fine of €800 for a first offence
From 1st January 2003, all drivers must carry their Driving Licence. However, this offence will not incur penalty points until the National Driver File is amended to accommodate the new system. Expected completion is the end of 2003
Some 61 other offences including driving with a mobile phone, driving without insurance, driving without wearing a seatbelt and failure to obey traffic lights will also accrue penalty points once the National Driver File is operational
Driving without insurance is generally punishable by a fine of up to €2,500, disqualification of one year or more for a first offence and two years or more for a second offence, and, at the discretion of the court, a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months.
In the case of a first offence of driving without insurance, the court may decide in special cases not to impose a period of disqualification or to impose a period of disqualification of less than a year. Where the court decides not to impose a disqualification, drivers convicted of a first offence of driving without insurance will incur 5 penalty points on their licence record in addition to any other penalty imposed by the court
Drivers will be liable for penalty points if they do not wear their seal belt or if they allow a person under 17 years of age to travel unrestrained in a vehicle
Drivers will receive 4 penalty points if found guilty in a court of a seatbelt offence and a fine of up to €800. If you opt to pay the fixed charge of €60 within 28 days of the issue of the fixed charge notice from the Gardai, 2 points will be endorsed on your license record
Points remain on the licence record for a period of 3 years and an accumulation of 12 points at any time within the 3 years will lead to an automatic disqualification for 6 months.
The amount of penalty points imposed depends on the severity of the offence.
Gardaí will enforce the speeding regulations through traffic patrols, speed cameras and speed radar and video surveillance under the GATSO system. This system automatically detects vehicle speeds and registration numbers.
If a driver is caught speeding the Gardai will send a notice of the offence to the registered owner of the vehicle. The notice of the fine and penalty points will contain a space for the owner to say who was driving the car at the time of the offence. If the relevant driver's name and licence number is not included, or it is left blank, the penalty points will be endorsed against the registered owner.
A number of motor insurance companies require their policyholders to declare all traffic convictions. It is expected that penalty points will be included in these declarations.
Our Services For further information about driving offences in Ireland, read more about the “drink driving” laws in Ireland. If you require legal services related to driving offences, you can learn about our legal services here or call us directly on 1850 940140 or 01-8745656, e-mail us at law@traceysolicitors.ie or we can call you back.
