Drivers have 43% chance of dodging speeding fines
Also, the number of motoring offences cases being dropped, because the time limit within which the prosecution could be taken had expired, has dramatically increased this year to more than 7,500 statute barred offences.
‘Spoiled’ speed camera images continue to hamper the penalty points system.
This year, 43% of images from cameras, showing speeding or people not wearing seat belts, were ‘spoiled’ or too poor to take a prosecution - only down slightly from the 47% in 2003 when the problem became apparent.
The spoiling of camera images resulted from technical problems with the cameras and films, including dirty lenses, poor weather conditions, obstructed lenses, chemical development solution difficulties and computer related problems.
Aside from that, dirty, obscure or damaged number plates, tampered, non-conforming and foreign plates also resulted in spoils.
Despite action being taken by the Garda Síochána to amend the technical problems with the cameras and films and the computer-related issues, the spoil rate for 2004, to end of September, is 43%, according to the Department of Justice secretary general Seán Aylward.
The high rate of spoiled images was highlighted in the 2003 annual report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, where the 47% figure was cited for the 14 months of December 31, 2004, resulting in loss of €6 million in revenue to the State.
In a response to the C&AG’s report, due to be presented to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee this morning, Mr Aylward also says the loophole, whereby drivers can escape penalty points by giving gardaí inaccurate licence numbers when paying their fine, will be closed by the introduction of the new system for managing penalty points, known as the Fixed Charge Processing System (FCPS).
The correspondence from Mr Aylward says the number of cases becoming statute barred has increased significantly this year, from 5,575 for the 14 months up to the end of 2003, to 7,659 to September 2004.
Two factors blamed for this difficulty are advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on issuing of summonses and problems when the system extended to the Cork Garda Office.
“I am informed by An Garda Síochána both these incidents were once-off incidents and will not arise again,” Mr Aylward says.
If the fixed charge, payable on foot of a penalty point offence, is not paid and an application for summons to court is not made within six months of the date of the offence, the prosecution of the driver in question is statute barred.
