Cross-border initiative will hit speedsters

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan has thrashed out an agreement with the Northern Ireland Office, which will result in Northern Ireland motorists having penalty points added to their licence, if they are caught speeding in the Republic. Southern speedsters driving in the North will also suffer a similar punishment. John Loughran reports.

For many years there has been anecdotal evidence in the Republic to suggest that Northern motorists speed while travelling through the Republic. The fact that the Republic didn't have a penalty points system - until last October - was blamed for this phenomenon.
Indeed, the law in the Republic relating to speeding led to a situation where Northern motorists, including truckers made the most of the general lack of enforcement.

Even when they did fall foul of the law, the worst they could expect to receive was a speeding ticket.
The N1 corridor between Dublin and the border is one of the most dangerous roads in the country, despite the fact that a large chunk of this route is now a dual carriageway. Speeding has been blamed for a significant number of deaths along this route and significantly a large proportion of these accidents have involved Northern Ireland motorists.

The N2 is also another accident black spot route, which carries huge volumes of Northern registered trucks through Slane in Co Meath. In the recent past there have been a number of high-profile crashes at the bridge in the town involving Northern Ireland truckers.

Northern motorists have also been blamed for killer stretches along the border in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan. Practically every major route along the border now contains killer stretches, and the finger of blame has been firmly pointed at speeding motorists from the North.
Ironically, the situation worsened when the penalty points system for speeding was introduced at the end of October.

It soon emerged that penalty points clocked up in the Republic could not be transferred to a licence from outside the jurisdiction. It gave Northern truckers and private motorists a free hand to continue at high speeds throughout the Republic.

Following high level reports that thousands of Northern Ireland truckers were breaking the speed limits at every opportunity in the Republic, in the knowledge that they couldn't have penalty points added to their licence, Transport Minister Seamus Brennan has decided to act.
It is understood that Minister Seamus Brennan has received reports from the Gardai and road safety authorities indicating that the problem has escalated in recent months since the introduction of the penalty points system.

Minister Brennan and his counterpart in Northern Ireland, Angela Smith have ordered officials to draw up regulations aimed at slowing down the thousands of trucks and cars entering their jurisdictions each day.
It will mean for the first time that penalty points can be slapped on drivers from the North caught speeding in the Republic and on errant motorists from the Republic speeding in the North.

Speaking recently, Minister Brennan said he was worried by the incidence of speeding involving Northern Ireland registered vehicles. He said the main Belfast - Dublin road south of the border and around Dundalk and Drogheda was possibly the most dangerous road in the country.
"That whole road from Belfast to Drogheda is a death trap. The people of County Louth are up in arms over the Northern speeders," he was quoted as saying.

The move has been given a warm welcome by the Garda Siochana and the National Safety Council.
A spokesman for the Garda Siochana welcomed the initiative and said it would strengthen their hand in clamping down on speeding northern motorists. "Until now, we have only been able to apply penalty points for speeding to licences that were issued in the Republic. It is our understanding, that when these new regulations come into force, we will be able to apply penalty points to motorists from the North."

He added:" That should act as a huge disincentive to speed for northern motorists. Until now, all we able to do was issue them with an on-the-spot fine, which wasn't really acting as a deterrent."
Brian Farrell, communications executive with the National Safety Council, the state funded organisation charged with educating motorists on road safety, has welcomed the move by Minister Brennan. "Any measure that will help to reduce the carnage on our roads has to be welcomed," he commented.
He added: "Speeding is a major problem on our roads and is the biggest contributory factor in crashes on our roads."
Mr Farrell said the proposed measure to integrate the penalty points system for speeding north and south was a matter for the Department of Transport, but stated it should be dealt with as soon as possible. "We would like to see it progressed as urgently as possible."

There is little evidence to suggest that motorists from the Republic are speeding in great numbers in Northern Ireland.
However, the introduction of this new regulation should act as a deterrent and should dissuade potential speedsters.
Now that Minister Brennan has moved to close down this loophole, it should only be a matter of time before he moves to strike a deal with Britain for an integrated penalty points system on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Watch this space!