Courts call for debt collection agency to recoup motoring fines

THE Courts Service has called on the Government to consider appointing a private debt collection agency to tackle the growing problem of unpaid motoring fines.

The court authorities have also recommended urgent changes to road traffic legislation after Garda figures show that up to 50% of all motorists are still failing to pay fines for offences such as speeding and the non-wearing of seatbelts.

The Courts Service claims the system of issuing fixed penalty notices to motorists, designed to keep such cases out of court, is not working. It says that a total of 88,000 summonses in respect of fixed charge offences came before the courts in the first six months of 2007.