Confusion over the recent order to carry driving licences in cars at all times led to panic among motorists yesterday, with hundreds applying for licence renewals.
The National Driving File, a national computer system dealing with licences, crashed at 3.15 p.m. yesterday, according to a spokesperson for Dublin City Council.
The council also confirmed that its motor tax office at Nutgrove shopping centre, south Dublin, had to deal with over 700 driving licence applications made yesterday.
"Renewals for driving licences made up a significant proportion of daily business yesterday," said the spokesperson.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, issued the order that from January 1st motorists must carry their provisional or full driving licences in their cars at all times.
The Department of Transport confirmed to The Irish Times last night that the on-the-spot fine for not carrying a driving licence has not yet been decided upon and will not come into effect until the autumn.
A spokesman for the department said that recent announcements regarding provisional driving licence holders may have caused confusion among the public.
He explained that the regulation requiring motorists to carry driving licences with them in their cars was always there.
The two offences concerning motorists are failure to produce a driving licence to gardaí on the spot and failure to produce a licence to a named Garda station within 10 days.
Under the new penalty point system, drivers will face an on-the-spot fine for not carrying a licence.
The fine has not been decided yet but is expected to be similar to that of the speeding fine, which is €80 on-the-spot.