Over 100,000 drivers have penalty points

The number of deaths on the roads is on the rise, with 21 more in the first two months of the year than for the same period last year, according to Garda statistics.

A total of 62 people have lost their lives in traffic accidents so far this year, compared with 41 at the end of February last year. The increase comes as the number of people receiving penalty points has just topped the 100,000 mark.

Safety appeals were not enough to stop the "unacceptable carnage", the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said yesterday. "Vigorous enforcement of the law" was required.

The increase in road deaths has followed a year in which the number of deaths fell to 340, the lowest since the early 1960s. The decrease had been partly attributed to the introduction of penalty points.

A total of 107,125 drivers have earned penalty points since the introduction of the scheme. However, no motorists have been disqualified from driving. Ten drivers are on 10 points, just two short of losing their licences. Six of the 10 were Dublin drivers.

The increase in road deaths was a "very serious cause for concern", Mr Brian Farrell of the National Safety Council said, and raised questions about the impact of penalty points.

"It's impossible to say yet if we have a reversal of the trend, but it's fair to say that this time last year, in the first couple of months of the points system, there was a dramatic improvement in road safety. We will be watching this very closely and if there is a reversal we would be very concerned about that."

All drivers needed to examine their behaviour on the roads, he said. "We can only speculate why the figures for fatal accidents are rising back up, whether it is a question of enforcement or the impact of penalty points wearing off, but the principal reason is our behaviour on the roads. We would appeal to people to revert back to safer driving."

Mr Brennan said the number of tragic deaths in recent weeks showed an urgent need for a change in driver behaviour.

"Appeals alone will not bring this about. It requires vigorous enforcement of the law and the visible presence of gardaí on our roads and streets."

Dublin drivers accounted for the majority of penalised motorists, with more than 30,000 incurring points. The second-largest group - 14,424 - were the "no driver number" category - drivers from outside the State or those driving without a licence.

These drivers are immune from the points system as the scheme only covers motorists whose details are held on the National Driver Register.

There is no EU-wide penalty points system, but a spokesman for the Minister said talks were ongoing on the possibility of an integrated North-South system.

The make-up of the "no driver number" category needed closer examination, Mr Farrell said.

"This is a very serious number of people who are breaking the law, but can't be penalised. We should find out who this group is made up of, whether they are people outside the law or from an outside jurisdiction."

The majority of points were issued for speeding offences, while 3,372 drivers incurred points for seatbelt offences. Of these, 265 received points for not having children properly restrained.