You can’t say you weren’t warned.
Any Irish motorists caught driving while disqualified can be arrested on the spot and possibly face court on the same day under new powers afforded to An Garda Síochána which will come into effect from next week.
Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe has signed an order giving the powers to the Gardai in an attempt to put a stop to Irish people blatantly disregarding the law as it currently stands.
From Monday onwards, Gardai will have the power to arrest any disqualified drivers on the spot, with offenders facing a fine of up to €5,000 or a maximum term of six months in prison.
The disqualfied driver will have to face court the next day, or even on the day of their arrest if a court is available.
Previously, disqualified drivers were served with a summons and it could take months to get to court.
According to the Irish Times, approximately 13,000 drivers have been disqualified from driving in each of the last two years, a figure that, going on the numbers so far, is expected to be reached again in 2015.
10 per cent of disqualified drivers have been subsequently arrested for driving after they had been disqualified and Donohue hopes that the new measures will help put an end to the blatant disregard for the imposed sanctions on Irish roads.
“Driving while disqualified, like all forms of unlicensed driving, is already an offence,” Donohue is quoted as saying in the Irish Times.
“It is a particularly serious form of unlicensed driving, because people in such cases have been explicitly barred from driving, generally for road traffic offences, which means that they have posed a danger on the roads.
“The new power of arrest represents the seriousness of the offence and provides An Garda Síochána with the necessary power to deal swiftly with this offence.
“I expect that this will have a very significant deterrent effect for persons who drive while disqualified and ultimately enhance safety on our roads.”
