Are we taking uninsured driving seriously?

[Marsupial]

Gardaí unable to cope with ‘sheer scale’ of road traffic crimes flagged by ANPR cameras

Members of Garda roads policing units targeting drivers flagged for multiple crimes as those drivers flagged for single offences too numerous to pursue

www.irishtimes.com

Over time, many of the worst offenders will be identified and charged.

They'll then (months later) go before a judge who may fine them and/or suspend them from driving for x years. S/he probably won't ask for their licence (assuming that they have one). In rare cases, the very worst of the repeat offenders may be sent to prison, but given that their crime was non violent and that our prisons are overflowing, they'll probably be released within a few days and will be free to continue driving as before.

Rinse and repeat ad infinitum.

(I don't know what happens if they don't pay the fine imposed, but presume that if they don't, they'll eventually be jailed - only to be released later that same day due to overcrowding. Can anyone advise whether, if someone is jailed for non-payment of a fine, does that wipe out the fine, or is it still due?)

I would love to put forward a viable solution for this ongoing problem, but until the punishment for serial offenders is made serious enough to persuade them not to re-offend (possibly by the imposition of a significant fine allied to the permanent forfeiture of their vehicle) there probably isn't going to be very much change to the current unsatisfactory situation.

 

[mathepac]

(I don't know what happens if they don't pay the fine imposed, but presume that if they don't, they'll eventually be jailed - only to be released later that same day due to overcrowding. Can anyone advise whether, if someone is jailed for non-payment of a fine, does that wipe out the fine, or is it still due?)

District Court Rules: https://www.courts.ie/rules/trial-summary-offences-si-no-19-2016#:~:text=(2) Such imprisonment shall be,Criminal Justice Administration Act 1914.

Scroll down to 13 (1) & 13 (2), Imprisonment in Default. Sorry, I can't extract the little table and commentaries for some odd reason.

[EDIT]

Imprisonment in default

13. (1) An order of imprisonment made in accordance with section 2(1) of the Courts (No. 2) Act 1986, where the conditions of that section are met, at a sitting of the Court on the date specified in the notice concerned under section 7(4), section 11(2) or section 16(3) of the 2014 Act, shall be for a term not exceeding the appropriate period specified in the following table:

(1)	(2)	(3)
Reference Number	Amount of fine	Period of imprisonment
1	Not greater than €500	5 days
2	Greater than €500 but not greater than €1,500	10 days
3	Greater than €1,500 but not greater than €3,000	20 days
4	Greater than €3,000	30 days

(2) Such imprisonment shall be terminated on payment of the balance then due of the fine, or shall be reduced on payment of part of the fine in accordance with the provisions of section 3 of the Criminal Justice Administration Act 1914.

 

[Marsupial]

District Court Rules: https://www.courts.ie/rules/trial-summary-offences-si-no-19-2016#:~:text=(2) Such imprisonment shall be,Criminal Justice Administration Act 1914.

Scroll down to 13 (1) & 13 (2), Imprisonment in Default. Sorry, I can't extract the little table and commentaries for some odd reason.

Fascinating. Many thanks. A lot of paperwork required!

So if someone doesn't bother to pay a fine, eventually they might be sent to prison ...... and the unpaid fine will miraculously disappear!

Like much of our legislation, that looks good in theory! Of course in practice, they probably won't spend more than a couple of hours in prison while waiting to be processed ..... before being released.

 

[Leo]

Like much of our legislation, that looks good in theory! Of course in practice, they probably won't spend more than a couple of hours in prison while waiting to be processed ..... before being released.

The courts have the options of sending in the bailiffs or attachment orders.

 

[Marsupial]

The courts have the options of sending in the bailiffs or attachment orders.

I'm sure that they do. But how often has it happened in the past decade? (I assume that it's a long, bureaucratic process so isn't worth doing in 99.9% of traffic cases.)

 

[Leo]

I'm sure that they do. But how often has it happened in the past decade? (I assume that it's a long, bureaucratic process so isn't worth doing in 99.9% of traffic cases.)

You assume incorrectly.