Penalty points handed down in Republic will apply in North

DRIVING bans and penalty points handed down in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland will apply in both jurisdictions, the Irish and British governments decided yesterday.

The agreement on mutual recognition of offences throughout Ireland and Britain is a crackdown by both administrations to halt road carnage.

In the North, 12 people have died this year while 53 have died in the Republic.

The deal also applies to offences committed in mainland Britain by Irish drivers and vice versa.

Both governments said they are determined Irish motorists north and south along with British drivers will not escape punishment.

Transport Minister Martin Cullen said tough law and stringent enforcement may be required to change motorists’ attitudes towards the rising death toll.

His warning followed a meeting of British and Irish transport ministers in Belfast.

He said there needed to be a change in attitude among motorists towards drink driving and speeding.

He also said there needed to be co-operation between Government and industries such as the drinks industry to tackle the root causes of the carnage.

He confirmed tan agreement with British Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman to have driving offences in Britain recognised in the Republic and vice versa.

“This is an issue which shouldn’t be played as a political football. Sadly the one stark fact in all of this is that over 86% of the people killed on our roads is down to driver behaviour.

“We are just going to have to make tough law and we will have to have tough enforcement for everybody to drive home the message that you have to behave within the law on our roads.

“One of the clear facts of it is if people at the moment under the existing law remained within the speeding limits and didn’t drink drive we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Mr Cullen said the agreement with British transport ministers to recognise different jurisdictions, motoring offences and penalties would help in the effort to crackdown on dangerous driving.

“We are all equally responsible,” he said.

“We are obviously putting very substantial legislation in place, setting up the Road Safety Authority which will have a very strong remit... We want to make people more and more aware of their responsibilities for the rest of us along the roads.”

British Road Safety Minister Dr Ladyman said: “If a UK driver is disqualified while driving in Ireland, then he or she should not escape the consequences when they return home.

“Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world and the government is committed to improving it further.”