A deal to keep disqualified drivers off the roads was confirmed today by Irish, British, and Northern Ireland ministers at a meeting in Belfast.
This entails closing a legal loophole that allows drivers disqualified in the UK to drive legally in the Republic of Ireland, and vice versa.
Ministers from the Republic of Ireland, the Northern Ireland, and Britain also pledged to take action to introduce a system of mutual recognition for penalty points and other motoring offences across the three regions.
While driving bans will be dealt with on an all Ireland basis from March next year, a joined-up approach on penalty points is not expected to be introduced for another four or five years due to the number of legal obstacles that need to be overcome.
Today's agreement, which is the first to be drawn up under the terms of the 1998 European Convention on driving disqualifications, was reached following talks between Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, Stormont environment minister Sammy Wilson, and British road safety minister Jim Fitzpatrick in Belfast.
Research indicates the likelihood of being killed or seriously injured in a road collision increases by a third on roads along the Irish Border. The governments believe this is in part due to the fact some drivers feel they are above the law once they enter another territory.
After the meeting at Parliament Buildings in Stormont, Mr Dempsey said the deal was good news for road users.
“All three governments are working hard to save lives on our roads and this deal will be a very welcome addition to that work,” he said.
Mr Dempsey added: “The evidence that we have is that particularly in the border counties, on both sides of the Border, that the rates of accidents — the number of fatalities and injures — is about 33 per cent above the national average on both sides.
“When a driver from the Republic of Ireland drives over the border they seem to think they have complete freedom and vice versa and that’s something that we cannot tolerate and don’t want to tolerate, and that’s why we are moving in this direction.”
PA