In Ireland, penalty points are issued for various driving offences under the Road Traffic Acts.
There are 64 different motoring offences that can result in penalty points.
These range from speeding, holding a mobile phone, to failure to comply with keep left signs, driving on the hard shoulder of a motorway, Bridge strikes etc.
Yes, Bridge strikes.
More on those later.
"Some offence triple in points if the FCN is not paid.
Of the 64 penalty point offences, 21 of them carry one point.
But if this FCN is not paid and you lose in court, you get 3 points"
Here are some common, and not so common penalty point offences:
Speeding
If you pay the fixed charge notice (FCN) of €160 you’ll get 3 points.
If you don’t pay the FCN, you’ll get summoned to court.
If you lose there, you’ll get 5 points.
Failure to wear a seat belt
€120 fine and 3 points.
Allowing a person under 17 to travel in rear seat without seat belt.
€120 fine and 3 points.
Holding a mobile phone while driving
The fine is €120 and 3 points.
Breaking a red traffic light.
€80 and 3 points.
Careless driving
This results in an automatic court appearance and if convicted, 5 points.
Dangerous overtaking
A relatively new offence. The fine here is €80 and 3 points.
Driving too close to the vehicle in front
This carries a €160 fine and 3 points.
Driving without valid motor insurance.
This results in a mandatory court appearance.
You will not be given roadside penalty points.
If convicted in court, you may be disqualified from driving for two years.
Even if you’re not disqualified, you will receive 5 points.
Driving a vehicle without a valid National Car Test (NCT) certificate.
€60 fine and 3 points.
Driving a dangerously defective vehicle
This results in a mandatory court appearance and 5 points if convicted.
Other Offences.
Failing to yield the right of way.
€80 fine and 2 points.
Failure to stop for school warden sign
€160 fine and 2 points.
Parking dangerously or in prohibited zones.
€80 fine and 3 points.
Driving a vehicle when unfit
If you’re aged over 75 you need to have a “fitness to drive” form signed by your GP.
This also applies to people of any age who have certain medical conditions e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, any type of brain surgery.
If you’ve been declared unfit to drive but continue to do so anyway, this offence is aimed at you.
You won’t get an FCN, but you will get a summons to court.
Expect the prosecution to apply to have your licence revoked. It carries 3 points.
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Most offences carry 2 or 3 penalty points.
But if you don’t pay the fine and lose in court, the points will often double.
Sometimes they are tripled.
For instance, if you pay a speeding fine its 3 points and a €160 fine.
If you decide to fight it in court and lose it’s 5 points.
Some offences are punished heavier than others, to mark their seriousness.
If you get stopped for failing to obey traffic rules at a railway level crossing, you’ll be given 2 points and an €80 fine.
If you decide to fight it in court and lose it jumps to 5 points.
Accumulating 12 points within three years results in a six-month driving ban.
For learner or novice drivers, the limit is 7 points.
Some offence triple in points if the FCN is not paid.
Of the 64 penalty point offences, 21 of them carry one point.
The majority of this 21 carry fines of €60 each. So, it’s one point and a €60 fine.
But if this FCN is not paid and you lose in court, you get 3 points and a fine between €90 and €120.
What’s a Bridge strike?
You might have heard of them, but chances are you probably don’t have to worry about them.
These usually involve articulated trucks crashing into low bridges.
Every time this happens it can cause a rail line to be closed pending inspection.
If you’re the unlucky driver, you’ll be summoned to court and face 3 points on conviction.
If you’ve ever been stuck on an overheated train in summer, now you know why.
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