Cars for sale on side of road to be banned

THE practice of offering cars for sale on the side of the road could soon be banned.

Transport Minister Martin Cullen revealed yesterday he has sought legal advice on how to introduce a nationwide ban to outlaw the booming trade.

Hundreds of cars with ‘for sale’ signs can be found in locations across the country in what has become a mini-industry for some traders. A mobile phone number is often the only link providing any clue to the identity of the owner.

Motoring sources confirmed the practice has become “big business” for some car sellers who were using large vehicle carriers to transport groups of cars around the country.

Recent media reports have also highlighted how some ‘for sale’ signs on cars parked on roadsides are not genuine but are instead being used by so-called ‘boy racers’ to advertise race meetings.

Mr Cullen said the growing phenomenon of cars being sold on the side of the road was “utterly unacceptable”.

“I intend to come down as hard as legally possible on this,” said the minister. “It’s just outrageous and I want to end the practice.”

He claimed the number of cars being sold by this method had “mushroomed” in recent years and posed a serious threat to road safety. “For a start, they are a major distraction to drivers, while I would also question the quality of such cars and their safety standards,” he said.

Addressing a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, Mr Cullen said he was determined to find a mechanism to ban the practice. He said the trade had expanded to include caravans, trailers and boats, which posed even bigger risks to the safety of drivers.

A similar ban as that proposed by Mr Cullen has already been put in place by Wexford County Council.

The owners of cars with ‘for sale’ signs in Co Wexford are being warned they risk having the vehicles confiscated if they don’t remove them.

“We needed to rid ourselves of this nuisance. Such cars were interfering with drivers’ visibility as they approached junctions,” said a spokesman for Wexford County Council.

Several other local authorities, including councils in Mayo, Wicklow and Donegal, have also started introducing similar measures.

The proposals for a nationwide ban have also been welcomed by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, which said the practice was having a serious impact reputable car traders.

“These cars can be a death trap as other drivers are stopping without notice trying to read the ‘for sale’ signs,” said SIMI chief executive Cyril McHugh. “It has become a very serious road safety issue.”

The SIMI said the buyers of such vehicles had no reassurance that the mileage had not been clocked or that they had not been involved in a crash.

Mr McHugh said it was no longer an issue of people selling their car privately as it was common to see 10 or more cars parked together being advertised for sale.

“These operators pay no overheads, no rates, no insurance and have no liabilities,” said Mr McHugh.

“In the event of anything going wrong, the buyers of such cars have no comeback,” he warned.