C&AG highlights problems with issuing of speeding tickets

The Comptroller and Auditor General has expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of Ireland's speeding laws.

Speaking before the Dáil public accounts committee today, John Purcell said: "It is unsatisfactory that over half of the speeding infringements recorded on film or videotape resulted in the issue of a fixed-charge notice.

"Clearly, if a fixed-charge notice could not be issued, penalty points couldn't be allocated, so there's a significant fundamental problem at the beginning of the process."

Despite this, the secretary general of the Department of Justice Sean Aylward defended the current system.

"Right across the countries where these systems are in place, no country has produced a 100% effective system based on cameras and computers," he said.

"We are talking about something that operates in road conditions that can vary. We're talking about the possibility of human error and we're also talking about huge volumes."