NEARLY 460 MOTORISTS have dodged convictions and avoided getting penalty points on their licences by making a donation to the court poor box since the beginning of 2022, new figures have revealed.

A total of 459 drivers who appeared before the District Court in connection with 480 separate penalty-points offences had the charges dismissed or struck out after making a financial contribution.

The controversial practice has persisted despite the High Court ruling in 2014 that judges did not have discretion to accept donations to the poor box in lieu of penalty points, as this amounted to “indirect circumvention” of the law.

It has also been criticised by road safety groups and senior politicians, including Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who said he was “disappointed” that the practice appears to be still in use.

A 2004 review by the Law Reform Commission described the system as unfair for offenders who cannot afford to pay for donations.

Figures published by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy show that an average of 134 drivers avoid penalty points by donating to the court poor box every year.

The Dublin District Court area accounted for 53% of cases in which charges punishable by the application of penalty points were dismissed or struck out following contributions to the poor box since the start of 2022.

In 2022, a total of 133 motorists avoided penalty points in this way in respect of 134 separate offences. In the following year, 100 drivers dodged penalty points in connection with 101 offences after donating to court poor boxes.

Last year, the number of drivers increased significantly to 168. These had been charged with 180 road traffic offences, but avoided getting their licences endorsed after paying into the poor box.

In the first eight months of 2025, 58 motorists who had made financial donations to the poor box avoided penalty points in respect of 65 separate offences. Almost 59% of these cases occurred in Dublin.

The practice was less common in other cities. Only 16 drivers dodged penalty points in Galway following donations since 2022, while 15 such cases were recorded in Cork, and 12 in Limerick.

Money paid into a court poor box is typically distributed to various charities at the discretion of the presiding judge.

Providing the figures, O’Callaghan noted that the management and operation of the courts are the responsibilities of the judiciary and the Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions.