NCT delays - Penalty point system flaws

WITH five incriminating penalty points and fines of up to €1,500 hanging over drivers without a valid National Car Test (NCT) certificate, it is not surprising that motorists are worried over ongoing delays in getting appointments for the test.

More than 98,000 drivers at centres across the country are now scheduled and awaiting a test. The situation is so bad that extra mechanics are being drafted in to deal with the summer backlog, stretching into September. It is worth noting that motorists who applied for the NCT and have a receipt will not be prosecuted by the Gardaí and therefore will not incur penalty points.

By any yardstick, however, there is no logic in a safety policy that imposes fewer penalty points for speeding, the single biggest cause of road deaths, than for NCT offences which include not having a certificate of road-worthiness or failure to rectify a fault identified by the NCT.

Of course, it makes sense to rid the country of vehicles that are not road-worthy. But where is the logic in imposing a penalty of five points for lacking a valid NCT certificate when drivers face penalties of two or four points for speeding or just one point for not wearing a seat belt, a major cause of death and injury on our roads? Considering that speed is a potential killer, the disparity in the points system urgently needs to be rebalanced. Better planning is also required to make the NCT more streamlined. Otherwise, the system will fall into disrepute and become even more frustrating for tens of thousands of drivers.