A deal between the Irish and UK governments, which comes into force in 2009, will mean that disqualified drivers in one country, will not be able to drive legally in the other. The agreement is the first of its kind in Europe. However, it will only apply in cases where a driver gets an outright ban and not in cases where a ban is due to the accumulation of penalty points.

"If a UK driver commits a serious offence like dangerous driving while in Ireland, their ban should still apply when they return home,” said Jim Fitzpatrick, British road safety minister. The possibility of mutual recognition of penalty points between the UK and Ireland has also been investigated, however, it was not seen as viable due to differing points systems.