Cullen confident penalty points will save lives

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has insisted the introduction of penalty points for 31 offences will reduce the number of road deaths.

Speaking at the announcement of a public awareness campaign for the roll-out of the new points system, Mr Cullen acknowledged that the honeymoon period following the introduction the first phase of penalty points in November 2002 had not lasted.

During the first six months of the system, road deaths fell to a 40-year low, with an estimated 70 lives saved and 300 serious injuries prevented.

"However, that dramatic impact did wane," he said, acknowledging that an "administrative glitch" in the system was to blame. He was confident the full computerisation of the system meant that this would not be repeated.

To date, 96 people have died on Irish roads this year.

"Reckless drivers, putting their lives and those of other road users at risk, are the target of these measures," Mr Cullen said. "The extension of penalty points means that carelessness or lack of consideration in relation to safe driving will have the potential to result in driving disqualification."

From Monday, 31 offences will be added to the four that already carry penalty points. These include dangerous overtaking, tailgating, driving without due consideration, crossing the central white line, failure to obey traffic lights and driving the wrong way up a motorway. No new offences have been created.

Fines will range from €60 to €80. Drivers receiving 12 or more points within a three-year period are automatically disqualified for a year.

The use of mobile phones while driving is not included in the new list. Mr Cullen promised to bring forward new legislation banning this practice "within the next two weeks". It will be contained in the Road Traffic Bill alongside the introduction of random breath testing and the privatisation of speed cameras.

But Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell was sceptical about the effectiveness of the new system, describing the current administration of penalty points as having a "staggering number of loopholes".

She said there were no effective procedures to ensure that gardaí know when a driver is disqualified and to ensure that they surrender their licences.

"If the licence is not surrendered it will remain in the hands of the technically disqualified person who can go on driving with impunity," Ms Mitchell said. "In the absence of access to roadside technology and smart card licences, it is only the failure to produce a licence that can alert a Garda to a disqualification."

Superintendent John Farrelly of the Garda National Traffic Bureau warned motorists that they are now far more likely to lose their licences than before. "People have to realise that what was a road traffic offence that they paid a fine for last week will now carry points," he said.

By the end of this August, arrangements will be in place allowing 1,000 post offices around the country to accept fines. Until then, just one post office in each Garda district will be able to do so.

The public awareness campaign comprises a 30-second TV slot in both Irish and English, full page adverts in all national newspapers and the relaunch of the www.penaltypoints.iewebsite, which will carry the full list of offences covered by points.

Almost 310,000 drivers had accumulated penalty points by the end of last month.