A total of 515 motorists have been put off the road for six months, having accrued 12 or more penalty points in the six years since the scheme was introduced, reports the Irish Times…

A driver who accumulates more than 12 points over a three-year period is disqualified for six months and is required to surrender their licence voluntarily to their local tax office… The Department sends a list of drivers who have failed to surrender their licence to the Gardaí and responsibility for handing over of the licence transfers to them. The penalties for not surrendering a driving licence were increased last year and the offence now attracts a fine of up to €1,000.

Figures also show that one in eight drivers, have been given penalty points for speeding since the system was introduced….More than 46,570 penalty points have been given to drivers for holding a mobile phone while driving, suggesting up to 230 motorists a week are being given points for this activity since it became an offence in September 2006.

Noel Brett, chief executive of the Road Safety Authority said recently that the penalty points system “has saved lives and prevented injuries year on year since its introduction”…

Irish Times