Call to enforce penalty points

THE Government should concentrate on ensuring the penalty-point regime is enforced rather than “floating hot air” about more stringent sanctions, the opposition has said.

On Tuesday, Government chief whip Tom Kitt proposed doubling the amount of penalty points issued for high-risk offences such as speeding and drink driving on bank holiday weekends.

Mr Kitt based his proposal, which is being considered by Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, on a similar scheme in New South Wales, which has witnessed a significant reduction in road deaths over holiday periods.

Labour transport spokesman Tommy Broughan dismissed Mr Kitt’s proposal as “more hype and hot air” from the Government: “Instead of floating yet another headline-grabbing scheme, why doesn’t the [transport] minister urgently ensure we have universal enforcement of all traffic and motoring laws?

“Figures from the Courts Service last year highlighted up to 50% of all motorists are not paying fines accrued for offences such as speeding and not wearing a seatbelts,” he said.

“[In addition] a significant number of motorists who had received 12 penalty points were not voluntarily giving up their licence as they are obliged under law to do... There are a whole range of legislative loopholes and lack of resources to implement current laws which Minister Dempsey has not addressed.”

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd was of a similar view.

“Since the introduction of penalty points, more than 100,000 drivers with non-Irish licences have been given penalty points which are unenforceable... The Government needs to focus its energy on making the current system credible,” said Mr O’Dowd.