Speeding fines could be linked to salaries under new proposals

Drivers could have speeding fines linked to their salaries under new proposals, the Irish Independent reports.

High earners would face steep fines under the rules, with a driver on €50,000 paying €1,000 for speeding.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is seriously considering the plans, with details to be sent to Transport Minister Shane Ross.

A spokesman for the RSA told the paper that chief executive Moyagh Murdock supported the idea of linking salaries and fines.

Income-assessed fines already exist in Finland and in one famous case a millionaire businessman was handed a €54,000 fine for speeding.

If the new scheme is adopted, it could operate in a way similar to the UK’s, where authorities this week increased the percentage of salary paid by speeding drivers.

Under that scheme, there is now a 25 per cent minimum increase in what drivers face if caught.

Fines also combine with periods of disqualification for the worst offenders.

In Ireland, speeding results in three penalty points, or five if there is a conviction as well as a fixed charge of €80 if payment is made within 28 days.