Penalty point offences down 8% in year to date

The number of penalty point offences detected in the first half of 2012 has fallen by more than 8%, leading to fears that enforcement levels may be affected by a reduction in the size of the Garda Traffic Corps.

Figures obtained by the Irish Examiner show that 114,024 penalty point offences were detected in the first six months of this year — down from 124,106 in the corresponding period in 2011. It represents an average decrease of 8.1%.

However, detection rates fell by more than 25% in a third of all city and county divisions. Overall, detection rates fell in 19 of the 29 regions, with Waterford County recording a fall in penalty point offences of almost 47%.

Other regions to record a sharp drop in motoring offences include Limerick City (down 44.5%), Carlow (-40%), North Tipperary (-39%), Kilkenny (-37%), and Waterford City (-36%). The figures relate to the place where the vehicle driven by the offending motorist is registered.

While some reduction in the number of penalty point offences committed may be attributed to improved driving behaviour, the results suggests levels of enforcement vary considerably around the country.

Only four counties showed a marked increase in the number of offences committed: Sligo (up 71%), Leitrim (61%), Roscommon (28%) and Westmeath (15%).

Road Safety Authority chairman Gay Byrne predicted last December that road fatalities could increase as a result of the reduction in the Garda Traffic Corps from a high of 1,250 to its current level of 900.

RSA chief executive Noel Brett expressed concern in July that motorists were in danger of slipping back into bad habits.

He said the group was perturbed by 25 road fatalities in June — one of the highest monthly totals in recent years.

Road fatalities have been falling steadily since a high of 396 in 2005 and last year the figure fell below 200 for the first time, when 186 traffic deaths were recorded. So far this year 123 people have died on Irish roads — three less than the corresponding period in 2011.

The European Transport Safety Council recommended last week that there must be high levels of police enforcement combined with regular communication campaigns to ensure penalty points systems sustain having a deterrent effect on bad driving behaviour.

A study of penalty points systems used in 21 of the 27 EU member states found their impact on the number of road traffic accidents was often significant but temporary.

It said a basic requisite for a successful system was for motorists to believe there was a high actual chance of losing their driving licence — a condition linked to high enforcement levels and regular communications about penalty points.

The report warned that penalty points systems can have the undesirable consequence of increasing the level of unlicensed driving.

A total of 18,917 penalty point offences was recorded in the first six months of 2012 for which no driver could be identified — a figure which equates to 16.6%.

However, the number of “no driver number” offences fell almost 12% compared to last year. It is believed many such offences relate to foreign-registered vehicles.

Ireland is the only EU country which has three bodies involved in the administration and enforcement of a penalty points system: The Road Safety Authority, the Department of Transport, and An Garda Síochána.