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A broken speedometer, a dying cow and a swarm of bees - how some people avoided penalty points

Nearly a quarter of penalty point notices in 2011 and 2012 were quashed, with some flimsy excuses being accepted.

ONE IN FIVE people evade penalty points and do not end up in court because of weaknesses in the system and a quarter were quashed.

Today’s report by the Comptroller and Auditor General called on the gardaí to address what he called “significant” flaws in the system.

The report found that there is no controls to stop gardaí terminating penalty point notices which are not in their authority.

The system has come under intense scrutiny in the last 12 months.

In total, notices were terminated for 42,700 in 2011 and 2012. Nationally, an average of 2.2 per cent of notices were terminated. However in Ennis this figure was 5.9 per cent. In Birr, 0.1 per cent of notices were terminated.

The report took a sample of 300 notice terminations in reviewed offices an found that in 11 cases there was no reason given for the termination.

It also found that more than half the cases had been wiped on a discretionary basis.

Circumstances and explanations accepted by District Officers included:

  • 26 cases of speeding on the way to a hospital or GP appointment
  • the road being “wide and quiet”
  • being late to pick up a relative from a bus station
  • being late for a religious ceremony
  • speeding back to a farm because bees were attacking livestock
  • being late for a swimming lesson
  • having a broken speedometer
  • accidentally speeding
  • not seeing a red light

and

  • a driver claim not to be concentrating because his mind was mind was on a dying cow on his farm.

Both Blanchardstown and the Bridewell in Dublin topped the list for most terminations, with 699 and 355 respectively.

3,000 notices were not served because of delays getting data from notepads into the garda system and the C&AG report found a high level of unaccounted for forms.

While making no judgements, the report said that “absent and inadequate records, and recorded facts in other cases, give rise to concerns that many cases have been terminated without due cause”.

The report also said that a system whereby companies must identify drivers of company vehicles was open to abuse. Many companies are responding that they do not know who is driving, leaving a prosecution next to impossible.

Read: Varadkar: We need another investigation into the penalty points controversy

Read: ‘Dysfunctional and flawed’: TDs slam penalty points investigation

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jan 27th 2025, 1:35 PM

    Discussions focused on “healthcare policy”… not sure how useful Leo will be here, or any Irish politician in fairness.

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    Mute Ciaran
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    Jan 27th 2025, 3:56 PM

    @Thesaltyurchin: he is a trained medical doctor and he was In charge of the country as we battled covid pandemic. I’m sure his credentials are a lot better than yours sitting on the taxi rank ..

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    Mute Shane O Mac
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    Jan 27th 2025, 5:53 PM

    @Ciaran: and given private confidential information to a rival

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    Mute den
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    Jan 27th 2025, 8:28 PM

    @Ciaran: oh yeah, he was great at quoting harry Potter and other movie’s!!

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    Mute Tommy
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:16 PM

    Mr V sold out Ireland to the wolves. Let in unknown people in numbers to take over our country and they are mysteriously claiming asylum.
    My question is this. Why Ireland and what is Ireland showing to the rest of the world that we Irish can’t access the basic necessities? As there’s waiting lists for everything that we need to access from the NCT to Hospital waiting lists and housing .

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    Mute Ciaran
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    Jan 27th 2025, 3:57 PM

    @Tommy: disgrace.. I even had to wait in line to pay for my groceries this morning… what a horrible country …

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    Mute damien leen
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    Jan 27th 2025, 1:22 PM

    Douche! That is all!

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    Mute Sun Rise
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:46 PM

    @damien leen: Damien, you must be as delicate as a snowflake to be so upset by this article.

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    Mute martin finnegan
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:04 PM

    Shows you politicians can stil go on making big bucks while still collecting pension for all did when in power here .

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:07 PM

    @martin finnegan: But he’s not collecting a pension like most he’s pension will be paid at 65.

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    Mute Ciaran
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    Jan 27th 2025, 3:58 PM

    @martin finnegan: genuine question ; how much do you call “big bucks?”

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    Mute martin finnegan
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    Jan 27th 2025, 4:32 PM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: i just think he failed irish people when in power sure yet can still go around like he was a success a millionaire yes but not a success

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    Mute martin finnegan
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    Jan 27th 2025, 4:38 PM

    @Ciaran: sorry well paid to talk his career in politics.

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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    Jan 27th 2025, 1:55 PM

    who cares..stay there

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Jan 27th 2025, 1:44 PM

    The journal seems obsessed with Leo, he’s a private citizen and what he does in his life really isn’t important anymore. Let the man live his life.

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    Mute Uí Braonáin
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:27 PM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: it’s possibly more to do with the keynote speaker at an Irish unity event being a man who argued against it throughout his career.

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:43 PM

    @Uí Braonáin: And yet he has attended previous events on the matter.

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    Mute James T.Kirk
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    Jan 27th 2025, 3:58 PM

    @Harry Paisley: Right sir name for that comment on fairness Paisley.

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    Mute Andrew Kenny
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:36 PM

    A most incompetent individual who will be handsomely rewarded for abject failure.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Jan 27th 2025, 3:41 PM

    @Andrew Kenny: isn’t that what we’re all chasing?

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    Mute Kevin O Brien
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:24 PM

    United we stand divided we fall, wount be long now!! The anti Unity FFG parties have always been and are the biggest obstacle to everone comming together as one in Ireland the way God intended

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    Mute D White
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    Jan 27th 2025, 5:06 PM

    He has nothing to offer anyone but the WOKE.

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    Mute William Jennings
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    Jan 27th 2025, 5:55 PM

    The worst Taoiseach in our nation’s history. I don’t know why people keep giving him an audience and attention. His left-wing progressive policies failed to achieve anything productive in this country and he should not be speaking at any sort of event like this. In any case, Irish Unity itself is a bit of a folly which fails to realise that Northern Ireland runs a budget deficit of nearly 15 billion pounds every year. It’s not a manner of whether there is an “appetite” for joining up the two countries as one, or whatever other word people like to use, we simply can’t afford such a move. We already have a national debt that’s increasing every year. There is no reason why we should burden ourselves with one big welfare hoover that is Northern Ireland.

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Jan 27th 2025, 2:52 PM

    I’m sorry but we don’t want input from the current political parties in America.

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    Mute Gerry Lynch
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    Jan 27th 2025, 7:10 PM

    must be looking for a young fella dirty old leo

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