Legal loophole over penalty points ‘to be closed off’

THE Road Safety Authority said yesterday that new legislation should be in place by the summer to close off a loophole allowing drivers to avoid penalty points, even after appearing in court for driving offences.

Since 2003, 18,383 drivers have been convicted of offences that require a mandatory court appearance, yet just 727 of these saw the penalty points applied to their licence.

The offences include reckless driving, not having a valid NCT and driving a dangerous vehicle, yet in many cases the points were not put on the motorist’s licence because there is no legal requirement for court clerks to record the licence numbers and send them to the Road Safety Authority (RSA). Many people attending court simply do not bring their licences with them.