Giant numbers of disqualified drivers are nonetheless not surrendering their driving licences with their designated driver quantity, making it troublesome for gardaí and insurance coverage corporations to find out {that a} ban is in place.
That’s in keeping with the civil society group Parc which has compiled a league desk of the variety of disqualified drivers, by county, who’ve merely failed at hand up their driver numbers to the courts and return the licence to the Street Security Authority (RSA).
Over the 2 12 months interval 2022-2023, simply six out of 232 drivers in Co Carlow surrendered their licences on being disqualified by the courts. The quantity was 4 in 2022 and this fell to 2 in 2023. Over the 2 years this represents a compliance charge of simply 2.6 per cent.
In Dublin metropolis and county there have been 4,708 disqualification notices issued in 2022-2023 however simply 154 individuals, or 3 per cent, complied with their authorized obligation to ship their licence again to the RSA.
Beneath regular circumstances a driver on being disqualified by a court docket, ought to produce their driving licence so its driver quantity could also be famous by the court docket. The licence is then handed again to the defendant or their authorized consultant, to facilitate 12 day interval during which an attraction could also be launched.
Ought to no attraction be launched or an attraction be finally unsuccessful, the regulation requires the licence be returned to the RSA.
Nonetheless, the RSA has beforehand informed the Oireachtas Transport Committee that to police such an association, and to prosecute disqualified drivers for not returning their licences, the RSA must have employees in each court docket which offers with motoring offences.
New Garda hand-held gadgets which might 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 by the courts the is just not accessible report out there. “The handheld gadgets don’t give entry in actual time to the Nationwide Driver File, so even when the courts have recorded a ban, it is probably not seen,” mentioned Parc’s Susan Grey.
Based on the league desk simply seven out of 230 banned drivers within the two 12 months interval 2022-2023 surrendered thier driving licences in Co Longford. The determine for Leitrim was six out of 90.
Ms Grey mentioned the organisation has been in search of figures since 2017 on the variety of drivers who have been prosecuted for not returning their licences however has nonetheless not been given the figures. “It’s an offence however one they wont give us figures on,” she mentioned.
Simply seven banned drivers out of 303 surrendered their licences in Co Monaghan; whereas in Co Laois the quantity was 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 safe the discharge of figures for these disqualified drivers who fail to return licences, mentioned the numbers have been disturbing.
“You’d have thought that after someone was disqualified the system would mechanically reclaim their licence.”