Drivers banned for failing to buckle up kids

A district court judge is banning motorists from driving for not having children buckled up in their cars.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan banned a man from driving for six months after stating that he “had endangered a child” by not having the four year old properly restrained in his car.

In a new get tough policy concerning child road safety, Judge Durcan also imposed driving bans on two drivers for the non-restraint of children in their cars and adjourned imposing a further driving ban on an Ennis mother for the same offence to tomorrow.

In one case, Judge Durcan banned Dan Donovan of Crowe St, Gort, for six months for failing to have a four-year-old child properly restrained while driving his vehicle at Clarecastle on March 14 this year.

Not having children properly restrained carried five penalty points on conviction and three points on payment of penalty. However, in the cases before his court, Judge Durcan used his discretion and imposed ancillary orders of imposing driving bans on the drivers.

In cases of parking in disabled parking spots, Judge Durcan also uses his discretion in imposing ancillary orders banning those motorists from driving.

In putting Mr Donovan off the road for six months, Judge Durcan said that Mr Donovan had “behaved in the most contemptuous fashion towards the driving laws and to the children he has responsibility for”.

Judge Durcan said Mr Donovan “had endangered a child” by his actions and did not even bother turning up in court.

On hearing that Mr Donovan had two previous convictions for similar offences, Judge Durcan banned Mr Donovan from driving for six months and also hit the Co Galway man with a €750 fine.

Giving evidence in the Donovan case, Garda Lisa McDonagh said that in the vehicle being driven by Dan Donovan there was a four-year-old on a passenger’s lap in the passenger seat.

The garda said that she issued a fixed-charge penalty notice and it remains unpaid.

Judge Durcan also banned mother, Helen Mongan of Church Drive, Clarecastle for one month and fined her €250 after hearing that a two-year-old was unrestrained in her vehicle. Mrs Mongan has appealed her driving ban.

Judge Durcan said that having a child unrestrained in a car can result in catastrophic injuries for the child concerned if there is an accident.