Massive numbers of disqualified drivers are nonetheless now not surrendering their riding licences with their designated driving force quantity, making it tricky for gardaí and insurance coverage corporations to decide {that a} stop is in park.
This is consistent with the civil community team Parc which has compiled a league desk of the collection of disqualified drivers, through county, who’ve merely failed handy up their driving force numbers to the courts and go back the licence to the Street Protection Authority (RSA).
Over the 2 time duration 2022-2023, simply six out of 232 drivers in Co Carlow surrendered their licences on being disqualified through the courts. The quantity used to be 4 in 2022 and this fell to 2 in 2023. Over the 2 years this represents a compliance price of simply 2.6 in step with cent.
In Dublin town and county there have been 4,708 disqualification notices issued in 2022-2023 however simply 154 crowd, or 3 in step with cent, complied with their felony legal responsibility to ship their licence again to the RSA.
Underneath standard cases a driving force on being disqualified through a court docket, must form their riding licence so its driving force quantity could also be famous through the court docket. The licence is upcoming passed again to the defendant or their felony consultant, to facilitate 12 date duration during which an attraction could also be introduced.
Must negative attraction be introduced or an attraction be in the long run unsuccessful, the legislation calls for the licence be returned to the RSA.
Then again, the RSA has in the past advised the Oireachtas Delivery Committee that to police such an association, and to prosecute disqualified drivers for now not returning their licences, the RSA must have body of workers in each court docket which do business in with motoring offences.
Untouched Garda handheld gadgets which is able to scan insurance coverage discs and licences can inform if the motive force is insured or has a licence, however with out the motive force quantity being recorded through the courts the isn’t out there file to be had. “The hand held devices do not give access in real time to the National Driver File, so even if the courts have recorded a ban, it may not be visible,” mentioned Parc’s Susan Grey.
In keeping with the league desk simply seven out of 230 restrained drivers within the two time duration 2022-2023 surrendered thier riding licences in Co Longford. The determine for Leitrim used to be six out of 90.
Ms Grey mentioned the organisation has been searching for figures since 2017 at the collection of drivers who had been prosecuted for now not returning their licences however has nonetheless now not been given the figures. “It is an offence but one they wont give us figures on,” she mentioned.
Simply seven restrained drivers out of 303 surrendered their licences in Co Monaghan; date in Co Laois the quantity used to be 13.
In Kildare simply 42 out of 793 drivers surrendered their licences within the two years to December 2023.
Catherine Murphy TD for Kildare North who tables a Parliamentary Query to accumulation the reduce of figures for the ones disqualified drivers who fail to go back licences, mentioned the numbers had been tense.
“You would have thought that once somebody was disqualified the system would automatically reclaim their licence.”
