IRELAND: The increase in penalty for several traffic violations will take effect soon.
Early this week, changes to the rules were announced, and by the end of August, they should be in effect.
The government plans to address speeding, cell phone use, and seatbelt violations by doubling fines for dangerous driving offences.
It follows a weekend of disasters on Irish roads, in which four people died.
Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State for the Department of Transportation, will propose legislation that will treble the fixed fines for major traffic infractions.
Due to this, the charge for speeding will rise from €80 to €160, and the fines for driving while distracted by a phone or without wearing a seatbelt will each double to €120.
Additionally, sanctions for other infractions that endanger the safety of vulnerable road users will be increased.
The news was made earlier this week during the mid-summer road safety appeal from the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Sochána, which asked drivers to slow down as the peak summer vacation season got underway and road users to use the roads safely.
According to Minister Naughton, the Road Safety Authority's data indicates that a number of fatalities on the roads are caused by persons who are driving too fast, using their cellphones while driving, or not wearing seat belts.
She said to RTE: "However, over 100,000 of these offences have already been committed this year alone, making this situation intolerable.
"What I want to do is introduce a law that would go into force relatively immediately that will increase fines in an effort to prevent people from using the roads, especially in August, which is a very popular month for vacations and foreign travel to Ireland.
There are more pupils out and about, so we're encouraging drivers to slow down and be extra careful on the roads, especially around pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users.
With 94 fatalities and 673 serious injuries so far in 2022, there has been a 42 percent increase in road fatalities compared to the same period last year.
According to Minister Naughton, prompt action is being taken to permit an increase in fines due to the considerable increase in traffic fatalities this year.
She stated that primary legislation would be required to raise the number of penalty points, something the government might work on.
"But what we wanted to do was act quickly to put in place immediate measures," she continued. "As of this morning, An Garda Sochána will have 61 new safety camera zones rolled out throughout the country, bringing their total number of statewide speed camera zones to approximately 4,400."
The lesson, according to her, is that it is the obligation of drivers to follow traffic laws, especially to slow down.
She explained that it was about requesting that the general people and drivers take responsibility for themselves.
.png)
The opinions posted here do not belong to 🔰www.indiansdaily.com. The author is solely responsible for the opinions.
As per the IT policy of the Central Government, insults against an individual, community, religion or country, defamatory and inflammatory remarks, obscene and vulgar language are punishable offenses. Legal action will be taken for such expressions of opinion.