Important news for all you learner and novice drivers out there…
According to Transport Minister Paschal Donohue, learner drivers who drive alone or fail to display the proper ‘L’ or ‘N’ plates are set to suffer harsher punishment due to a clamp down over the coming months.
By law, learner drivers are obliged to display their learner plates and be accompanied by a qualified driver at all times, but many new drivers have been choosing to ignore these rules.
If you’re caught for any of the above offences you will face a fixed fine and two penalty points or, if you‘re convicted in court, four penalty points.
However, don’t think that it’s just learner drivers who are being targeted, as there is a widespread tightening of the laws with dangerous overtaking and failure to obey stop signs also firmly in the crosshairs.
In total, the penalty points will increase for nine offences, while there will also be an introduction of penalty points for the first time for 14 other offences. You can look at the full list of offences on the RSA website here.
Minister Donohoe said: “The penalty points system played an important role in reducing road fatalities and improving safety from 2002 on.
“We need to keep up the pressure to reduce road deaths, and I am confident that the measures which I am introducing today will make an important contribution to achieving that goal.”
You can avoid all these points and fines if you simply obey the rules of the road and drive safely over the Christmas period and the coming months so make sure you do just that…
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