Figures show number of drivers banned after penalty points

New figures have revealed that a total of nineteen people have been banned from driving after collecting twelve penalty points.

The information collected by Fine Gael show that up to December 31, 2005, nineteen licence holders had gathered twelve points. They were automatically disqualified from driving for six months.
On Monday, February 13th, Fine Gael's TD Paul Kehoe outlined a dossier of delays and enforcement problems which have let bad driving behaviour speed out of control.

Mr Kehoe said that the figure contrasted with the rising number of road deaths and highlighted that drivers were breaking the law and escaping.
"Clearly many motorists are still getting away with flouting the law and driving dangerously, putting their own lives and those of innocent motorists at risk. The message is that enforcement on the roads is still at a very low level.
"Visibility is the key to improving driver behaviour and there must be an immediate increase in the number of garda checkpoints, road patrols and speed checks," he said.

By Monday, February 13th, 54 people had lost their lives on Irish roads in 2006. The number of deaths had risen by 24% for the first month of 2006 compared to 2005.