What about applying make-up while drinking coffee. See it most mornings on the M7 by people driving at in excess of 60km an hour.

i got a lift in a lorry years ago, when loads of people used to hitch, he was playing a guitar and steering with his knee

All this road safety. It’s nearly impossible to keep a clean license. I agree with most but points are excessive in some cases. One point on road safety is petrol stations charging for air. I only had my card and 3 stations in s row needed cash to have my tyres at a safe pressure. Shame on the stations and on the RSA for not investigating this. Do we not spend enough in these petrol stations. Rant over. Apologies.

There should be points for people who don’t use their indicators.

Using a phone at all while driving already is a offence isn’t it?

Isn’t the current offence holding a mobile phone while driving? Surely that catches texting!

It’s about time to clamp down on stupid drivers. Leave the bloody phones alone and do your texting at the side of the road. I see such terrible driving in Galway everyday. I reckon that galway has to have the worst standard of driving around. One question. Why do you need to drive and text? Most people can’t do it whilst walking without banging into people and objects. I am guilty of the walking offense.

NCT test centres are going to fill up fast if it becomes illegal to drive once failed the test.

Isn’t it sad that there are people so stupid, that we need this law.
How dumb must you be to text while driving?

a provisional driver stopped for doing 102 in a 100 zone, in the car on their own without L plates would be banned for driving. Is this good or bad. not sure myself.

When I was living in the Middle East there was a 40 percent reduction in car crashes when Blackberry was down.
There are people out there driving while on Facebook, wondering where speed traps are. The height of lunacy!

Relax, just don a wig and gown and tell them you’re on the way to court and you’ll be fine

Way to expensive to drive these days

Good. Cant stand people on the phone texting while driving. The ban should be same while smoking and women putting on make up, still using one hand to drive.. Bloody joke. Risking your own life or someone else’s .

It’s gonna be hard on the girls, putting on make up while texting at 100 kph takes years to build up the skill set,all that training and self discipline and the only reward is penalty points.

Seems fair enough.

money racket plain and simple they can shove there points up there hole

texting, or reading of any kind, or for that matter doing anything that causes you to not look where you are driving, should have much higher punishments, instant bans would be more effective

It should apply to all Garda to while working there always on phones

Make all the laws that ya want lads, without proper policing and education of drivers it will achieve nothing. People are still going to txt, call, do their make up, not indicate and pay no attention. We see it everyday!

Wouldn’t taking blood off an unconscious person without consent be assault and battery??

It’s also nice to know that us plebs will be receiving penalty points for our motoring indiscretions whilst our betters and friends of the higher echelons of our law enforcement won’t have to worry about such proletariat concerns. Have the right contacts in this jurisdiction… drive after a full bottle of single malt whilst texting and putting on make up with a shovel and eating a fry up…no worries!!!

You’ll be better off giving up driving. Use bicycle instead. No points, no licence, no L and N plates and above all, it’s better for the environment…

Why cant our Government treat Irish motorists in a similar manner re penalty points for speeding.
Speed Bonanza
Between 1st January 2008 and 30th September this year, the two speed traps on the dual carriageway between Ibiza Town and San Antonio took more than 10,000 photographs, resulting in fines of more than €1,600,000 and the loss of 7,800 points on drivers’ licences. Despite the fact that the two radars have been in operation for over two years, are adequately sign-posted and the majority of drivers tend to slow down before reaching the cameras, an average of 16 vehicles a day are caught, with speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour having been registered.
It depends on the amount of excess speed as to the fines and loss of points levied; for example on this road, the C731, which has a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour where the speed traps are sited, vehicles travelling at less than 110 kph will be fined €100, but no points will be deducted from the driver’s licence. Between 111 kph and 130 kph the fine is €300 and two points are lost, between 131 and 140 kph results in a fine of €400 and four points lost, whereas speeds from 141 to 150 kph are sanctioned with €500 and six points. In excess of 151 kph is considered ‘very serious’ and the fine is elevated to €600 and the points to six. Seventy per cent of all drivers caught speeding fell into the first category, i.e. at over 80 but less than 110 kph, and only 100 of the 10,000 drivers were speeding at more than 140 kph. Interestingly it is the weekend, especially Saturdays, when the radar has to work overtime.
The Consumers Association reported that most drivers did not have a problem with these restrictions, believing them to be necessary, although their positioning has been questioned, as they are in an area of good visibility, with very little risk of accidents and on straight dual-carriageways. They also claim that in a very short distance the permitted speed varies from the 70 kph in the tunnel at San Rafael to 100 kph, and then back to 80 kph just before the area where the radars are situated.
As reported recently, two further fixed radars are being installed on the island, one near the Santa Gertrudis turn-off on the San Juan road and the other near San Agustín; in both cases the permitted speed is 60 kph. Sofia Hernanz, the Director of Administration, assured drivers that adequate notice would be given before these speed traps come into operation.

Haven’t gone far enough for text driving. Should be at least a three month ban if caught.

Speed Bonanza
Between 1st January 2008 and 30th September this year, the two speed traps on the dual carriageway between Ibiza Town and San Antonio took more than 10,000 photographs, resulting in fines of more than €1,600,000 and the loss of 7,800 points on drivers’ licences. Despite the fact that the two radars have been in operation for over two years, are adequately sign-posted and the majority of drivers tend to slow down before reaching the cameras, an average of 16 vehicles a day are caught, with speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour having been registered.
It depends on the amount of excess speed as to the fines and loss of points levied; for example on this road, the C731, which has a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour where the speed traps are sited, vehicles travelling at less than 110 kph will be fined €100, but no points will be deducted from the driver’s licence. Between 111 kph and 130 kph the fine is €300 and two points are lost, between 131 and 140 kph results in a fine of €400 and four points lost, whereas speeds from 141 to 150 kph are sanctioned with €500 and six points. In excess of 151 kph is considered ‘very serious’ and the fine is elevated to €600 and the points to six. Seventy per cent of all drivers caught speeding fell into the first category, i.e. at over 80 but less than 110 kph, and only 100 of the 10,000 drivers were speeding at more than 140 kph. Interestingly it is the weekend, especially Saturdays, when the radar has to work overtime.
The Consumers Association reported that most drivers did not have a problem with these restrictions, believing them to be necessary, although their positioning has been questioned, as they are in an area of good visibility, with very little risk of accidents and on straight dual-carriageways. They also claim that in a very short distance the permitted speed varies from the 70 kph in the tunnel at San Rafael to 100 kph, and then back to 80 kph just before the area where the radars are situated.
As reported recently, two further fixed radars are being installed on the island, one near the Santa Gertrudis turn-off on the San Juan road and the other near San Agustín; in both cases the permitted speed is 60 kph. Sofia Hernanz, the Director of Administration, assured drivers that adequate notice would be given before these speed traps come into operation.

Why can’t our Government treat Irish motorists in a similar manner re penalty points for speeding

what about those android car radios, can we still text on them? :p

Typical of this government to pander to the troika and the banks and the bond holders in this way.

People who who use their phone or apply makeup while driving are stupid stupid self absorbed people assuming nothing will go wrong when they’re endangering everyone around them. The only reason I haven’t begun learning how to drive yet is because other road users scare me.

As a pedestrian the amount of times I see cars speeding, without use of indicators and using their phones.
the next time i see a drier using their phone im taking the reg down and reporting it.

Not a whole lot of good having new laws and points if the guards don’t enforce them or start writing them off.

When are drivers going to get a break. There are enough safety measures. Road deaths have halved in the last few years and are now among the lowest in Europe. There is risk in driving , that’s just life. If we all drove at 20kph nobody would get killed but we would never get anywhere.