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UNDER NEW RULES drivers who are caught speeding today will face more penalty points.
From today, under a new road safety initiative by the Road Safety Authority, penalty points for speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, holding a phone while driving and not using child restraints will increase from two to three points.
Under the new rules, there is a new category of driver from today – the new driver or novice driver.
Novice drivers
They will have to display the ‘N’ plate to show that they are a a new driver of the road. It must be displayed on the car for two years after they get a licence.
Also, if you are driver who is in their first two years of driving on the roads already, you will not be required to display an ‘N’. These changes only come into effect from today onwards.
Novice drivers also face disqualification from driving for six months if they clock up seven points, in comparison with a fully-licenced driver where the limit is 12 points.
However, if you were a learner driver before today you will remain on the 12 point limit, but learner drivers who get their plate from today will be on the seven point limit.
Alcohol
Similar to learner drivers, novice drivers, will be subject to lower alcohol limits and they are not permitted to act as accompanying drivers to learners who requires a fully-licenced driver to be present in the car with them while driving.
The changes, introduced under the Road Traffic Act 2014, means that anyone who does not pay he fixed changes and are convicted in court, their points will increase from four to five points.
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How about points for drivers that don’t indicate on roundabouts and when changing lanes?
There is one but it’s not specifically for failing to indicate, its for “failing to drive without due care or attention” and another one for “driving without consideration for other road users” the Gardai could use them offences if they wanted to
It’s none of your business where I am going!
They can if they want issue tickets for this. It is covered by a broad offence called “driving without consideration for other road users”
There is an offence for this. “Driving without consideration for other road users” 2 penalty points and €80 fine
Stupid registration process. Sorry about the repeated posts.
VW and Audi drivers are usually the culprits at this stupidity another one is parking side by side talking through open windows while other drivers are trying to get by them .
cause it be to hard to make revenue you rather make easy revenue from speeding.
Rumours also state that they are bringing in W plates for women drivers .
I heard that and they also have to have a flash yellow light to indicate danger keep clear
Well considering few people with learner permits display L plates as it is I can’t see too many going around with a big N on their car after they’ve passed their test.
@Galwaybay you are absolutely correct. What’s the use of adding more laws to the books when the ones we already have aren’t enforced.
I see countless people on mobiles while driving without a Garda in sight.
Well actually the laws are being enforced in relation to non display of L-plates. Again it’s the judiciary that don’t act out their role as they should.
Supposedly people had to be summonsed for not displaying L plates but now on the spot tickets can be issued at the roadside…
Makes it much easier for the guards so I can see this being enforced quite easily?!?!
Insurance minefield right there. Not displaying L plates….but how do we let provisional drivers get 7 points. They should be off the road if caught speeding once.
Never mind everyday people on their mobiles……. What about Gardai on their mobiles while driving? I drive for a living and have lost count the amount of Gardai I have seen driving while on the phone!
They are exempt.
Unfortunately they’re not exempt from using their mobiles while working. However the phonecall is suppised to be work related. Doubt too many are. Yesterday I’d imagine that the most of the calls were to the bank of Ireland.
Typo. They are exempt
Moan moan moan
The Garda,have no excuse for being on the phone whilst driving, hands free,Bluetooth etc modern technology !!! Use it.
Martin this has been covered time and time again. It means pairing the phone with multiple vehicles and also does not allow for confidential conversations over speaker phone. If they stick a Bluetooth headset on they now have both ears covered as a lot of gardai now use earpieces for their radios as well.
Pounds to pennies there’s no bluetooth in the patrol cars. Bog standard in every aspect.
Brian, it takes seconds to pair a device, why would the Garda need to have a private call if it is work related? Unless of course their was a suspect in the patrol car in which case their should two gardai in the car and the passenger takes the call- simples!!
Martin, first of all as Summer pointed out not all cars have Bluetooth, if the DOJ announced that they were putting Bluetooth kits into all garda vehicles you’d probably be on here whining about the cost to the taxpayer. Secondly I said confidential not private calls. Lastly if someone rings me it is because they want to talk to me and not my passenger!
Gardai are exempt from legislation regarding use of mobiles while driving. I suggest you get over it.
Brian, dress it up whatever way you want a Garda is no safer or competent than anyone else driving and using a Mobile phone at the same time, their are no “one handed driving courses “.
I’ll tell you what Martin, if you feel that strongly about it why don’t you approach a Garda the next time you spot one of them using a phone while driving and take it up with them. Let me know how that goes won’t you.
The Gardai will be out in force for the bank holiday weekend.
Stay safe.
Lets make it one to remember for all the right reasons this time…
The only thing they will be looking for is tax
Got it in one, yo. It has nothing whatsoever to do with road safety and everything to do with revenue extraction.
Tom Red….
Out in force my ass.
I have to laugh when I hear that one.
Obey the rules of the road then and you won’t be forced to contribute to this tax revenue ;-)
It is safer if u don’t go driving but use public transport. Less likely to be idiots on the road then
Ye sure in June alone they made €2million from speeding cameras alone!! For this figure I multiplied the amount of summons issued by €80, taken from garda twitter account.
Kim I am assuming that you live in an urban area with access to lots of public transport. Why don’t you try catching a bus in West Cork tonight or maybe get the LUAS out to Leitrim. Or you could hop on the GART (Galway Area Rapid Transport) and visit Connamara.
So let’s say if I have one child (19) who has passed their test in Aug 14 and a younger child (17) learning, therefore I need both an L and a N on my car.
No you display only the right L or N or none depending on who is driving . These stickers can be got as reusable window stickers .
No doubt there will be a way in the near future where you can buy a taxable vowel.
I’m aware of the new rule, however from a practical point of view if both teenagers are driving twice at a day …. that’s a lot of changing plates.
Novices should have a choice N or L.
I’m pretty sure the L plate would be enough
First world problems Ronan eh?
What about driverless cars? Maybe a R sticker for robot!
There should also have more rules for younger drivers like only 1 person in the car with them and driving between certain times ie 7 am till 12 am, and zero drink driving limit (that may be the case)
Because you never see a forty something in an Audi or Beemer doing stupid things on the road!
I agree. In Australia they have different rules for younger drivers. Most young people involved in serious accidents have mates or girls who they try to impress or are driving around towns at 2am showing off that they have a car
You do realise that there are people on the road who have NEVER sat a driving test be it in theory, practical or otherwise, yeah? These are the same type of people you’ll come across on the motorway in a Nissan Micra doing 70kmph. This “Novice” craic has a bit of merit I suppose but it reeks of money-making to me; the article doesn’t mention it but there’s a fine for not displaying these “N” plates. While I can’t fully defend the actions of all young people on the road, the other end of the spectrum is pretty prone to causing accidents (or at least extreme frustration) as well. It seems nonsensical to me to have the learner permit system for 6 months and then the novice system for 2 years while there are people on the road who were just handed out drivers licenses and have never passed any form of test.
They should enforce the laws in relation to L plate drivers being unaccompanied. The amount of times I have seen this is unreal. And before anyone says anything. it is clear from their capability to drive they are learners.
When are they going to do something about , the smokers,and the tea drinking drivers, also ban the petrol garages and shops from sellingl the coffee and tea to drivers, hot drink between your legs more dangerous than drink driving,
Theres cup holders in cars to hold things like that now you know
Ahh…thats what those things are for
What about WN plates…..
Woman Novice…
A bonus day for the insurance companies, a bonus day for the garda revenue collectors. Safer roads my arse!
I wish they would do something about car that are to low to the ground as they are one that could cause an accident because they hit the breaks hard when there is a bad pothole or bounce in the road. I have seen cars that are that low you cannot even get the a jack never mind a trolly jack under the car when they have a flat tyres.
The other other thing the garda should be doing people for is car with next to no working light at night.
The revenue collector will be out in force this bank holiday
So if you currently have a provisional license, does this mean you get away with having to put this humiliating “n” plate on your car?
What is so humiliating about an N plate? Just because you pass a test doesn’t qualify you to drive in the World Rally Championship of formula 1. The idea of these plates is so that other drivers cut an L or N plate driver some slack if they make a small mistake rather than blow their horns or lose the head. It also makes other drivers aware that the holders of these plates might not be fully comfortable at the rapid lane changing and mad dash at traffic lights that seems to be part of everyday driving.
But do I get away with it? My provisional is up next summer .. Will motivate me to get my full license before then.
AFAIK I don’t think that you will have to put them on but I would check just to be certain.
I believe the points are being increased as road deaths are rising & garda numbers falling. Putting easy fear into people. Will it be 12 points per offence eventually??? Cheaper than more Gardai. Also it’s not revenue collection there’s no increase in the penalty only points that I see here…..
How will the Guards know the the driver is novice…
Will N be in the form of a tattoo on their forehead prior to putting it on the car?
Another easily applied piece of legislation………for the enforcers.
I think the big red “N” on a white background stuck to the front and rear windscreens will be a dead give-away. If that doesn’t work they can also look at their driving licence.
Brian.
Should the driver decide not to put up the N notice on the car, what would your solution be?
Same as is fixed by law. “Non-display of N plates is an offence under traffic law and is punishable by a fine not exceeding €1,000 for a first offence. On becoming a fixed change the failure to display an N-plate will carry 2 penalty points on payment of a fixed charge, or 4 on conviction.”
BTW why wouldn’t a novice put up N plates in the first place?
Why do we have a police force ? People don’t abide by the laws of the land..
“Why do we have a police force ? People don’t abide by the laws of the land..”
Seriously?????????????????????
I just hope that is a rhetorical question.
Brian Ward thanks for the laughs and the common sense!
Taxi drivers should have to them wear them permanently
I will continue to speed in order to make up for all the lost time sitting behind total spas & tossers who dawdle around aimlessly, whilst the rest of us are actually trying to get somewhere !!!
Take the tools off the road, then I’ll slow down !
I have passed my test on 17th of July but couldn’t get an appointment anywhere until 5th august does that mean I have to display n plates now?
have your say