Road Traffic Law

Providing false or misleading information while applying for or renewing a disabled parking permit is now a criminal offence. Legislation which came into effect yesterday will enable prosecution of people making fraudulent applications for disabled parking permits, with penalties being a fine of up

Legislation closing a so-called loophole allowing some motorists to avoid a six-month driving ban will come into effect at the end of the month. Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2024 amends the Road Traffic Act 2002 to prevent drivers who have accumulated penalty points and are due for a six-month

Solicitor Patrick Horan welcomes a Circuit Court ruling which held that defendants in drink driving cases have a right to inspect Garda breathalysers. In a groundbreaking decision with far-reaching implications for drink driving cases across Ireland, a ruling at Clonmel Circuit Court has determined

A new default speed limit of 60 km/h for rural local roads was introduced in Ireland on Friday, replacing the previous default 80 km/h limit. The change, which came into effect on Friday 7 February 2025, was made in response to the finding of the Department of Transport's speed limit review.

Northern Ireland lawyers have been advised to take note of a court decision to overturn a conviction for driving without a licence. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is highlighting to the legal profession a point of law in a referral made in June 2024 to the County Court in Northern

The Supreme Court has determined that prior to the amendments introduced by s.13 of the Road Traffic Act 2024, the Road Traffic Act 2010 still required drivers to wait at checkpoints pending the outcome of a roadside drug test. Delivering judgment for the Supreme Court, Ms Justice Iseult O’Mal

Motorists will be required to provide their driver number, and those of any named drivers, to their vehicle insurer when taking out motor insurance policies under legislation coming into effect next year. The law, coming into effect on 31 March 2025, will also require all insurers, and intermediarie

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is to be reformed into two independent agencies following an external review. The separation of the two key responsibilities of the RSA — the delivery of road safety customer services and wider road safety public interest activities — was one of the main r

The Supreme Court has refused to overrule its previous decision in DPP v. Freeman in the context of an appeal concerning the inadmissibility of statements produced by an intoxilyser where a “sequencing error” occurred. Delivering the lead judgment for the Supreme Court, Ms Justice Iseult

New legislation is to streamline information on road collisions and end the need for paper tax discs. The Roads Bill 2024 will provide the necessary legislative basis to facilitate the flow of information so that local authorities, in their role as road authorities, may request, receive, and process

Recording and sharing images of victims of road traffic accidents would become a criminal offence under a private member's bill proposed in the Dáil. The Protection of Accident Victims from Non-Consensual Recording of Images Bill 2022, introduced by Labour's Duncan Smith, provides for fines o

Mandatory roadside drug testing for drivers involved in serious collisions will come into effect from midnight on Friday. The minister of state for transport, Jack Chambers, has signed into law the commencement order for Part 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2024.

Ireland has missed a deadline to implement new EU rules aimed at decarbonising road freight transport. The European Commission is sending a letter of formal notice to 16 member states, including Ireland, who have failed to communicate the full transposition into national law of the amended Eurovigne

The High Court has quashed a drug driving conviction where the Circuit Court found by implication that the arresting garda had formed the requisite opinion that the applicant had committed an offence under s. 4(1A) of the Road Traffic Act 2010. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Ms Justice Marg

The High Court has found that gardaí did not have adequate regard to the An Garda Siochána Code when attempting a ‘compliant stop’ of a civilian vehicle which resulted in a collision. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Tony O’ Connor stated that &ldquo