New road signs will point to penalty points

The Department of Transport is set to replace 500 road signs across the country, which state the number of people killed on the roads in each county, with signs that warn motorists about penalty points.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan said the move was prompted by evidence, which suggested the introduction of the penalty points system had changed driver behaviour.

"Penalty points are a worry for drivers because they are personal. Fines alone aren't that much of a deterrent, but someone can lose their licence if they collect enough penalty points. We are already seeing this starting to bite with a reduction in the number of people killed on the roads," Mr Brennan commented.

Meanwhile, the continued roll-out of the penalty points system will see another seven offences, which carry a mandatory court appearance, being added in the coming months.

The offences are: using a vehicle without a test certificate (five points on conviction), driving a vehicle before remedying a dangerous defect (three); driving a vehicle while unfit (three); careless driving (five); driving a dangerously defective vehicle (five); parking a vehicle in a dangerous position( five); and breach of duties on occurrence of an accident (five).