Section 15: Penalty points, fixed charges and driving bans
Encouraging road users to behave well is important, and Ireland has adopted a system of penalty points to support this change. This system is a key part of road safety policy in this country, and is designed to save lives.
If you break the law, there’s a price to pay. The system will record your failure and the penalty on your driver licence record. For minor offences, the penalty is a sum of money, a fixed charge, and points that attach to your licence record: penalty points. For more serious offences you may be brought to court. The system applies to both full licence and learner permit holders.
If you break the law and are caught, you will be fined and you will build up penalty points.
A novice driver who receives 7 points in a 36-month period will be
banned from driving for 6 months.
A fully licensed driver who receives 12 points in a 36-month period will be banned from driving for 6 months.
This section describes how penalty points and fixed charges work and outlines the points and charges that apply to road traffic offences. For a list of all current penalty point offences and fixed charges, see Appendix 4 or www.rsa.ie.