11k distracted drivers avoid conviction after court summons

The new figures show that more than 15,000 drivers received a court summons after failing to pay fixed-charge fines between January 2013-March 2015.

Of those, around 71 per cent went on not to be convicted, often due to having been served with a summons at the wrong address or claiming they had never received a fixed-charge notice in the post.

Many drivers have also avoided penalty points by making a contribution to the courts poor box, despite the outdated practice being criticised in a High Court ruling.

Figures show that 1,526 drivers avoided penalty points between January 2014-May 2015, though road safety campaigners believe the actual figure is higher.

Road safety group Parc said: “Survivors of road traffic collisions and bereaved families find it completely unacceptable and extremely insulting that thousands of drivers have evaded penalty points by virtue of the courts poor box.

“Those appearing in court on penalty point offences are either guilty or not guilty of breaking Road Traffic laws. If found guilty they must be convicted and subsequently penalty points applied to their licences.

“To be able to buy your way out of penalty points for charity must not be an option and according to Section 55 of the Road Traffic Act 2010 it is not an option, yet it is happening in many courts up and down the country.”

A criminal justice working group is contemplating reforms to make more drivers pay fines and reduce summons activity, according to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Equality said: “It is a matter for the courts to determine whether the charge against the person is proven. It is to be expected that, as for any offence, in certain cases the court will decide that a conviction is not warranted.”