Road traffic amendments will help courts enforce laws

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Acts will help courts better enforce road traffic legislation.

Ms Fitzgerald was asked in the Dáil about the number of speeding cases being struck out in the District Courts and the fact many convicted people are not having their licenses recorded.

A significant percentage of cases are struck out for non-service.

An Garda Síochána has established a working group to monitor the level of summons service throughout the country and to examine how the rate of summons service can be improved.

Ms Fitzgerald also said an amendment to the Road Traffic Bill 2016 by Transport Minister Shane Ross would improve shortcomings by creating a revised procedure for the production of a driving licence in court and a process to record whether it was produced.

Ms Fitzgerald explained: “On conviction, the Judge will ask the person to produce their licence. The court will then record the details of the driving licence. Failure to produce the driving licence will be recorded and will constitute an offence.

“The Judge will, of course, still retain the discretion, which already exists, to adjourn the case to a later date and allow the person to produce their driving licence or learner permit at that point. In tandem with the new arrangements, it is intended that the wording of the summons will be changed to indicate that a person is required to bring their driving licence or learner permit with them to court and that failure to produce it to the court, if required under section 22, is an offence.

“I strongly support this amendment to road traffic legislation, as it will provide the necessary consistency in the courts to enforce road traffic legislation more effectively.”