A Dublin motorist has incurred 12 points from a single fixed camera over a one-month period. Michael McAleer, Motoring editor, reports
Due to delays in issuing fines, she had committed six offences before she got notice of her first fine, thereby incurring 12 points, enough to put her off the road.
"It's really frustrating," she says. "I just started a new job and had never used that road before. The camera is just a short distance from the slip road where I join the dual carriageway and I thought the road was 60mph."
Her six offences were caught by a camera on the N4, opposite the Spa Hotel in Lucan. "It wasn't until I got a letter on June 21st about my first two points that I discovered it was a 50mph zone.
"Obviously I slowed down immediately, but then the rest of the tickets started coming. All my fines relate to the time between my first offence - May 17th - and the time I got my first letter."
The woman says she has been driving for five years and never received a speeding ticket before. "Two of the tickets are for doing 60mph, which I thought was the legal limit. The fastest I was caught doing was 65mph."
Fixed speeding cameras - or Gatsos as they are called - have been criticised for being punitive rather than correctional. In Britain some police forces have been accused of using the cameras as revenue generators.
"If I had been stopped by a garda," says the motorist, "I would have got two points the first time and immediately slowed down. I wouldn't have got any more points after that, as I'd have known the limit there."
Her main complaint is with the delay in issuing her points. "I think points are a good idea, but my problem is with how they are being enforced. The bottom line is that, if I'd got the first points within the week, I'd now only have two points and not 12.
"Even when I got the first letter I was surprised by the delay and went online to find out more. I visited www.oasis.gov.ie, which claims to be an Irish eGovernment website." Under a section entitled 'penalty points' it says: 'If you have been caught speeding on police traffic camera, you will receive notice of your fine and penalty points within 1 week of the offence by post.' The Department of Transport said the information is clearly wrong.
Poor signposting is a constant problem for Irish motorists, she adds. "I've become a lot more aware of the poor speed signage on our roads since this happened.
"There is a sign after the roundabout on the slip road which I use that tells you it's 50mph, but it's at a place where traffic merges. It's always so busy I'm concentrating on other cars and buses rather than that one sign. It's very easy to miss.
"Then on the motorway, there's no sign until you come past the camera."
A Department spokesperson said: "It's unfortunate for the person in question. It's a hard lesson to learn but the whole purpose of points is to make sure everyone realises we need to treat our roads with care."
The Government plans to introduce full computerisation of the points system this autumn. It claims the new system will dramatically speed processing of points, and will herald the introduction of points for a large number of additional driving offences.
While this motorist plans to appeal some of her offences, three motorists have already been banned since points were introduced in October 2002. They were in the Carlow, Cork and north Tipperary licensing areas.
Up to the start of August, 153,012 motorists had incurred points, with a total of 167,247 points issued, 158,910 of which were for speeding.
The Government is to introduce privately-operated speed cameras in the coming months. A working group set up last year and chaired by the Department of Justice is expected to report to Ministers in the coming weeks.
A privatised system operates in Britain, where the Government has engaged 42 partnerships which administer cameras and fines.
However, critics have accused it of "waging a war on drivers" and questioned the location of several cameras. The opposition Conservative party recently claimed that fines raised more than £15 million (€23 million) for the British exchequer last year. The party plans to audit all 5,000 cameras to gauge their effectiveness in saving lives.
The Tories also blame unclear speed signs for the growing number of motorists caught speeding by fixed cameras. They argue that drivers are often confused as to how fast they can go on certain roads.
The British government claims speed cameras save about 100 lives a year.