Failures in disqualification enforcement erodes confidence in road safety – Currie

A quarter of court-ordered driver disqualifications and almost half of all court-issued penalty points going unrecorded is a failure which demands immediate action, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Emer Currie, a member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee said Department of Transport data in the Irish Independent today exposes serious and systemic weaknesses in how Ireland records and enforces road safety.

“Department figures show that in 2024, 25% of court-issued driver disqualifications and almost 50% of court-issued penalty points were not fully captured by the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF).

“This is the database relied upon by An Garda Síochána and motor insurers to verify a driver’s status. These gaps are unacceptable in any enforcement system.”

Deputy Currie has submitted a series of queries to the Department seeking clarity on the accuracy of the NVDF.

In response, the Minister has committed to a full review of the matching process and to publishing more complete data.

She said the figures are particularly alarming given the rise in the number of deaths on the country’s roads.

“In 2025, 190 people lost their lives on Irish roads. At a time like this, confidence in road safety enforcement is essential.”

Deputy Currie also highlighted the Department’s admission that in 19% of unmatched penalty-point cases there was evidence a match could’ve been made.

“Worryingly this includes drivers who had reached 12 penalty points and should have been disqualified. This points to a system which is not functioning as it should.”

She said the Department’s commitment to further work with the Courts Service is positive, but said proven reforms used elsewhere should also be considered.

“In Northern Ireland, drivers surrender their licences directly to court clerks at the point of disqualification. It’s simple, effective and dramatically reduces errors.”

Deputy Currie concluded by saying: “If penalty points and disqualifications are not accurately recorded, court-ordered sanctions are undermined and public confidence in road safety enforcement is damaged. These failures must by urgently addressed.”