Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Ms. Hildegarde Naughton announced that the fines for 16 road safety offences will double this week.

From the 27 October some of the fines that are doubling include speeding (from €80 to €160), mobile phone use (€60 to €120), non-wearing of seatbelts (€60 to €120), and failing to ensure that a child is properly restrained (€60 to €120).

Certain fines relating to safety offences committed by learner and novice drivers are also increasing. The fine for a learner permit holder driving a vehicle unaccompanied by a qualified person will increase from €80 to €160. The fine for novice and learner drivers not displaying ‘L’ or ‘N’ plates, or tabards in the case of motorcyclists, will double to €120.

Minister Naughton also announced that three new Fixed Charge Notices will come into force in the New Year. These relate to the misuse of a disabled parking permit, illegally parking in an electric charging bay and breaching a HGV ban and entering a specified public road without a valid permit.

Speaking at the RSA’s Annual Conference, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Ms. Hildegarde Naughton said: “As of today there have been 122 people killed on the road, an increase of 11 on this day last year, and compared to 2019. In response to the increase in road deaths this year, this summer I announced that I was bringing forward the implementation of Action 30 in the Road Safety Strategy to review the penalties for serious road traffic offences and said that I intended to increase the fines for those offences that significantly contribute to road deaths.

Last week I signed the necessary regulations which will double the fixed charge penalty for a total of 16 high-risk driving offences including speeding, use of a mobile phone while driving, failure to wear a seatbelt or use an appropriate child restraint, and unaccompanied learner driving. These fines have not increased since they were introduced, in some cases almost 20 years ago. Increasing fines for road offences will act as a stronger deterrent to those who choose to break our lifesaving rules of the road.”

Minister Naughton added, “Ireland’s current Road Safety Strategy outlines Safe Speeds as one of the main priority intervention areas. I’m delighted to see an emphasis, in today’s annual conference, on 30km/h speed limits. Setting more 30km/h speed limits on our streets is essential if we are to make our cities, towns and villages safe for communities, but it also has a role to play in tackling climate change and encouraging modal shift to more sustainable transport options.”