Penatly Points Finally Arrive! Be Afraid...

DivX

i know a guy that has insurance with AXA and had a tracker installed.

he said that he has to download the unit every friday, and this unit must be keeping track of his activities.

He got a letter from them, telling him to cop on with his driving times or his insurance would be cancelled.

For all this he gets something like €500 off his premium...

leeroybrown

On these special reduction policies are you completely uninsured if you drive outside the premitted hours?

A survey/study a few years ago showed that more than 1 in 20 drivers was uninsured. I'm sure its risen since. This group are really killing the people who pay their insurance as a large proportion of insurance payments goes into the common pool for Uninsured Drivers. (more exact figures were up on the Motors board ages ago)

sceptre

So now it's going to be privatised apparently.

Don't have a link to a full story - here's what I pulled off the ireland.com news on e-merge:

State to privatise penalty points system for drivers
The Department of Transport is to privatise the proposed penalty points system for driving offences in a move to ensure its introduction by the end of next month.

jf_cole

Privatisation?? oh crap!! look what happened the trains in england when they did that, accidents all over the shop. I cant wait to have a profit making company looking after my license.

mike65

Just a bump to note that a basic version of the penalty points will be operation by end of October, but mobile phones ban has been put back again due to some obscure reason or other.

Mike.

Chimaera

To whoever was wondering about provisional license holders, and the regs, there are provisions in the penalty points system to penalise unaccompanied driving on a first provisional license.

IMHO the penalty points system is a good thing if it makes people cop on about their driving. Sure, it's going to catch out people who are a few mph over the limit from time to time, but if it can get rid of people who talk on the mobile phone while doing 90mph, or the parents who are too stupid to make sure their children are properly restrained in the car, then it's a good thing.

As for speed traps, they need to be looked at by the powers that be. Hidden speed traps on motorways and dual carriageways are just money-spinners, as research in the UK has shown time and again. Recently, the UK government made a policy decision to demand that all speed cameras be painted bright yellow, and have a warning sign 100m back the road, so that they behave as a deterrent to speeding, rather than a means of catching out people once they have broken the speed limit. Personally, I won't exceed the speed limit if I know I'm going to be caught, whereas if there's only a chance that there might be a hidden speed trap, then I'll take my chances provided the road conditions are suitable.

seamus

Originally posted by Chimaera
To whoever was wondering about provisional license holders, and the regs, there are provisions in the penalty points system to penalise unaccompanied driving on a first provisional license.

Only at the beginning. While it's being conducted on paper, penalty points are only awarded for speeding, plus a €65 fine.

When the computer system goes live, there are 61 separate offences which will gain you penalty points. Unaccompanied prov. drivers included (1 point).

people once they have broken the speed limit. Personally, I won't exceed the speed limit if I know I'm going to be caught, whereas if there's only a chance that there might be a hidden speed trap, then I'll take my chances provided the road conditions are suitable.

Well, that's another thing that penalty points are designed to curb. Unless you have a scanner, you can never know when a Garda might appear behind you or in front of you, on speed checking you on the road. Hopefully, this uncertainty will help slow people down (obviously we'll all still break the limit, just not as regularly), especially those on 9 points already, ie dangerous drivers. It's pointless telling people where the cameras are. Once you've passed it, you'll just speed off again. I think the signs with just a camera on them are great. They let you know you're being watched, but you don't know where they are, or how long they last, keeping you slower for longer.

ShayK1

Originally posted by Rabies

this will encourage people to drive with some bit of sense and not receive points. if after 3 years you have no points then your premium might be reduced (i hope).

As long as there are Insurance companies there will be high premiums!!! The are money grappin B*ST*RDS!!!

pertinax

To reduce:
"To lower the price of"

Insurance companies version of reduce:
"To become greater or larger."

FreaK_BrutheR

Points system leaves too much at the discretion of the authorities and if a privatisation comes into place I mean what the flook? They're gonna REALLY be tryin to rack up the points like.

Its all fairly sh!tty in a country where us the drivers are continuously battered and mistreated by all aspects of government and insurance.

I drive carefull, am 28 years old so my insurance is fine and I dont speed etc but by flook I'm still completely against this.

I'll drive between 65/70mph when I feel its safe, rarely go above that like.... would you people think I should be gettin 2 penalty points?

Flookin gardai can be plink plonks and biaised etc... Private companies.... well flookin hell you can be garaunteed they won't EVEN be Irish like.

I think the system we have is fine really when implemented properly..... fix the flookin roads and you'll see a decline in road deaths and accidents!!!

Drivers are discriminated against enough as it is!

mike65

This from the indo.

Double penalty for speeding drivers as fines rise to €80

SPEEDING drivers will face a double penalty as the Government prepares to hit them in the pocket.

Fines for speeding are set to rise by 30pc from €60 to €80 early in the New Year.

And the long-awaited penalty points system gets into gear next week with speeding motorists to get a two point sanction from October 31.

The hike in speeding fines will help fund the €11m Garda computer system required to operate the Department of Transport's penalty points system.

Given that there were 345,000 fines for speeding last year the department can expect a €7m windfall thanks to the increase.

Mike.

Mr E

OK, so it looks like the points start on Thursday.

I have a question.... Anyone from Limerick knows Childers road. Its 30mph all the way (AFAIK) but everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) does 40 on it.

Will the gardai enforce a slowdown on this road? Will penalty points be issued in this case?

- Dave.

Bard

on the radio news this morning I heard that the gardaí are complaining that they haven't yet been briefed on how it is intended that the system is to be run - and it's due to be up and running on Thursday... :rolleyes:

Chimaera

TmB: In over 5 years of driving, I've never seen a speed trap on Childer's Road. There's no good reason for keeping the limit at 30mph there either - it's interesting to note that it was originally built as the ring road around Limerick. There are enough designated pedestrian crossings on it to allow at least a 40mph limit.

JohnBoy

I've often travelled from kilmallock to roxboro roundabouts with guards around and everyone doing forty, they turn a blind eye, and it's not like you're often gonna make forty from tipp to the parkway......

So what are the points going to be?

2 for speeding is it?

but what other offences.

btw I like the idea that if you go to court to contest the charge and lose then you get double points, should reduce the number of people chancing their arm with the judge, and bring it down to people that actually have some sort of mitigating circumstances...

free up the courts to do real work.

John

sceptre

Originally posted by TmB
OK, so it looks like the points start on Thursday.

I have a question.... Anyone from Limerick knows Childers road. Its 30mph all the way (AFAIK) but everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) does 40 on it.

Will the gardai enforce a slowdown on this road? Will penalty points be issued in this case?

- Dave.

I would guess that they won't. The road isn't wide enough to have a proper check on it for one thing (though I suppose they could stand on one of the roundabouts but then you'd be slowing down coming into it)

Childers Road is one of those odd roads really - a ring road with a low speed limit. I don't think they'll fine anyone for doing just under or around 40 there. Given that all estates are walled in fairly well, I'm genuinely surprised it isn't a 40 by now.

OT: You've started leaving home very early for work then? When I leave the city centre it's always after 9, winding around the Childers Road I only ever get to reach 30-35 for about 50 metres after the Waterford road roundabout

Mr E

Early enough, yeah. I try to leave between 7:45 and 8 (sometimes earlier if I can).

I was in work yesterday, and Childers Road was deserted (so I was doing a solid 40 all the way along).

- Dave.

BioHazRd

Ok , it looks like the points system is kicking in tomorrow, but only for speeding initially.
There have been quite a few emails knocking about here about - some of which have had a couple of incorrect opinions, so I have included a link to the actual bill here. Its not that hard to read, and it is the definitive article
Let there be no more confusion

Road Traffic Bill 2001 (217 Kb download)

Bio