[Article] UK drive bans will apply on our roads

MicraBoy

IRISH motorists disqualified from driving in the UK will also be banned from driving at home under new measures announced yesterday, writes Fergus Black. Transport Minister Martin Cullen warned that the crackdown would be a "tough law" and that it would ensure errant drivers did not escape punishment.

Equally, drivers from the UK who are banned from driving in Ireland will also be disqualified in their respective jurisdictions.

The new initiative was agreed at yesterday's British-Irish Council meeting in Belfast and will cover driving disqualifications for offences such as drink driving, dangerous or reckless driving, hit and runs and speeding.

Legislation for the new measure will be contained in a Road Safety Authority Bill to go before the Oireachtas on February 22. The new disqualification arrangements agreed at yesterday's meeting are expected to come into operation here early next year.

Mutual recognition of driving disqualifications already exists between Britain, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but not with Ireland.

Mr Cullen said the new agreement was an excellent example of what working together could achieve for the betterment of people on these islands.

"Reckless driving is wrong no matter where and when it occurs," said the minister.

Irish Independent

Seth Brundle

Thats if the driver gets banned!
See my thread Points Escape for UK Driver over in motors.

MT

Will the PSNI and Gardai now be able to give drivers from the south and north, respectively, points in their jurisdictions? Such that the 12 points required to loose your licence might be a combination of 4 from NI and 8 from the RoI? It needs to happen - some of the southern drivers here are woeful (imagining that you can pull out across a busy road and traffic will just stop for you seems to be a fourite!!)

Calina

MT wrote:

Will the PSNI and Gardai now be able to give drivers from the south and north, respectively, points in their jurisdictions? Such that the 12 points required to loose your licence might be a combination of 4 from NI and 8 from the RoI? It needs to happen - some of the southern drivers here are woeful (imagining that you can pull out across a busy road and traffic will just stop for you seems to be a fourite!!)

yep well, if it's any consolation, some of the Northern drivers, hell, let's be honest, most of the Northern drivers here are abysmal. They seem to think that buslanes are actually Northern Reg lanes, plus, they don't get the km speed limits either.

I guess expecting not to be caught or punished too much helps on both sides of the border

MT

I think there's long been an attitude up here that Garda enforcement tends to be on the lax side. This long went with a general stereotype that southerners were laid back and not too concerned about regulations etc. So for a long time - in border areas - it was a right of passage after getting your licence to head over the border into the wilds of the Republic and basically open her up. As there used to really be next to no road markings or sign posts or a garda presence it seemed that nobody really gave a damn. Then you'd creep back of the border and carefully motor home observing the speed limit.

I mean, people up here loved going to Donegal - it seemed like the wild west - you could seemingly drive however you wished and no one would even notice!! That attitude still prevails - a sort of Ballykissangel stereotype of the Gardai. 'Ah, sure g'wan, ye'll be grand'.

Seth Brundle

@Calina -don't restart the Northern Drivers debate. Both of your points also relate to Irish registered drivers.
Anyhow, what has changed is not a points issue but one whereby if a driver is banned then they are banned in both countries. It was not like this previously. The cross border points issue is still not finalised

Nuttzz

I can see a challenge to this, how can I be punished under Irish law for a crime I didn't commit in Ireland or in the jurisdiction of Irish law

corktina

uncostituional i should say wouldnt you?

Our man in Havana

The fine up north is £60 and 3 points, down here 2 points and €80.

Which counting system would they use? Unworkable me thinks!

murphaph

Bond-007 wrote:

The fine up north is £60 and 3 points, down here 2 points and €80.

Which counting system would they use? Unworkable me thinks!

Huh? They'll just apply the penalty where the offence occurs, like any breach of the law.

Our man in Havana

will a reublic driver get 3 points or 2?

Will it be quicker to get banned up north?

Capt'n Midnight

Bond-007 wrote:

Will it be quicker to get banned up north?

Much quicker to get banned up north simply because of Enforcement.

Our man in Havana

will there have to be an exchange rate for converting points gained in the Uk to the Irish system?

Victor

What is the position, currently, of a Northern driver who incurs penalty points? Are the points not given or are they just "not very useful".

Nuttzz wrote:

I can see a challenge to this, how can I be punished under Irish law for a crime I didn't commit in Ireland or in the jurisdiction of Irish law

I understand the Child Traffiking and Pornography Act is also extra-territorial.

Then again what this act is saying is "you have been found guilty of being an unsafe driver, you aren't allowed drive here".

Our man in Havana

Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act, allows for certain crimes committed in other countries to be tried here.

Nuttzz

Victor wrote:

.

I understand the Child Traffiking and Pornography Act is also extra-territorial.

Then again what this act is saying is "you have been found guilty of being an unsafe driver, you aren't allowed drive here".

It is quite complex, I am being punished for my crime in another state now when I return home I'm being punished without a trial here. With child traffic and pronogrpahy you are being punished in one state, not more than one

Seth Brundle

Does anyone else find it odd that people are comparing punshments for road traffic offences and paedophilia?

MicraBoy

I would have thought if you had to make a comparison then this law would be more like not giving a visa to a person with a criminal record.

OT: Unless you have mastered the art of bi-location you won't be punished for a crime in two different countries anyway. You'll serve time in one or the other.