by Andrew Carey
GARDAÍ are about to close off the loophole that allows speeding motorists avoid prosecutions by denying that they received notification of the court cases in the post.
The loophole was initially addressed in the amendments made to the 2010 Road Traffic act but they have not yet been enforced.
An Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting was told by National Traffic Bureau Superintendent Cornelius O’Donohoe that the new law would remove the defence of somebody saying they didn’t get the notice in defending their case because, as part of the summons, they would be given a fixed fine,” he said.
In the wake of the penalty points saga, the Criminal Justice Working Group is prioritising the issue and Minister Leo Varadkar has welcomed the move.
Transport Committee member and Limerick Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan, said that the loophole needed to be “tightened up” urgently.
“The suggestion been made to me is this is a bigger problem than just one or two,” he said.
The working group will also determine which agency should make the necessary information technology installations to record the offences.
