Plea for all-island penalty points system

British and Irish government inaction over a common penalty points system for drivers on both sides of the border is allowing law breaking motorists to get away scott free, it was claimed today.

Irish Labour transport spokesperson Roisin Shortall and nationalist SDLP regional development spokesperson Margaret Ricthie criticised both governments a day after the Republic’s Transport Minister Martin Cullen extended the penalty points system.

After discussing the SDLP’s submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport in November, the Labour TD said there should be immediate work by the British and Irish governments on the synchronisation of the penalty points systems.

“Lives are being put at risk by motorists who are caught speeding on one side of the border but go unpunished as their vehicles are registered on the other,” the Dublin North West TD said.

“The Irish Government repeatedly tells me that under the British/Irish Agreement, responsibility for taking the lead on the mutual recognition of penalty points rests with authorities in the North (of Ireland) through the British Irish Council.

“Therefore, the Irish Government must be much more proactive in pressurising their British and NIO counterpart into taking action. They are very good at talking about steps to increase road safety, but this is one area where their empty rhetoric is costing lives.”

Ms Shortall said both governments must also develop plans for the mutual recognition of driver disqualification to ensure motorists disqualified on one side of the border could not drive on the other.

Ms Ritchie said with devolution suspended at Stormont, the Northern Ireland Office appeared to be either failing or disinterested in taking the lead role on the matter, dangerous drivers are getting away scott free.

The SDLP’s South Down Assembly member said the development of an all-Ireland road safety strategy should not be put on the shelf until direct rule north of the border ended and the Assembly returned.

“There is an obvious need for speed limits and penalty points to be made consistent throughout the island,” she argued.

“There is a particularly high rate of road traffic accidents in border areas, which will only begin to fall if drivers realise that they cannot get away with speeding when they cross that border.

“The PSNI and the Gardaí must co-operate much more closely to ensure that speeding motorists are caught, fined, and that their offences are registered on their domestic records and licences.

“The only way to do this is for a formal agreement between the British and Irish governments to be negotiated and signed.”

Irish Transport Minister Martin Cullen yesterday announced the Republic’s motorists would face penalty points for 35 offences in a major crackdown on careless driving.

At present penalty points can be incurred for speeding, careless driving, not wearing seatbelts and driving without insurance.

But from April drivers will be penalised for 31 other offences including failing to obey stop/yield signs, dangerous overtaking, jumping traffic lights, crossing white lines, tailgating, failure to wear child restraints, failing to stop for gardai and driving a HGV or bus on the outside lane of a motorway.

Mr Cullen said: “There is no getting away from the stats that show 86% of road deaths can be directly attributed to irresponsible driver behaviour.

“The addition of 31 new offences are key elements of the overall strategic approach to road safety and are central to the development of a greater culture of safety on our roads.”

Fines of between €60 and €80 will be imposed along with penalty points and if payment is not made within 28 days these amounts will increase by 50%.

Repeat offenders will also be banned from driving.