Written answers
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Department of Justice and Equality
Road Traffic Offences
Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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803. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will report on the rate of enforcement of the speed limit on roads here by An Garda Síochána in the years 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will provide a breakdown of the number of motorists detected having exceeded the speed limit in each of the Garda districts. [46592/13]
Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána is committed to working closely with all road safety agencies to focus on high risk behaviour, including speeding, with the key objective of reducing the number of serious injury collisions and fatalities on our roads. Levels of enforcement are high and involve targeted policing and awareness raising measures, including the deployment of safety cameras throughout the country.
In so far as detections are concerned, I am informed by the Garda authorities that fixed charge notices are issued for relevant speeding offences. Such notices are classified into 'intercept' and 'non-intercept' detections. 'Non-intercept' offences are recorded by fixed and mobile speed cameras, which include speed cameras operated by Go Safe as well as Garda mobile speed detection 'Robot' vehicles. These are distinct from 'intercept' speeding offences which are detected by members of An Garda Síochána in person.
I am advised that the following tables set out the number of intercept and non-intercept incidents of speeding recorded in each of the Garda Divisions in 2012 and to end of August, 2013. It should be noted that the figures are provisional, operational and liable to change.
Table 1: The number of speeding incidents recorded by Garda Division to 31 August, 2013
Table 2: The number of speeding incidents recorded by Garda Division in 2012
Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour)
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804. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if it is appropriate that a person (details supplied) in County Kerry should go to court in view of the fact that the fine was paid just past the deadline. [46603/13]
Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The payment of a fixed charge in respect of a speeding offence is a discretionary option for the recipient of a fixed charge notice following their detection for speeding. The relevant road traffic legislation provides an initial period of 28 days from the date of the notice, during which payment is accepted at the original charge. If no payment is received, a second notice is issued and a further period of 28 days is provided during which payment is accepted at the fixed charge plus 50%. Only if no payment is made by that date is the recipient liable for prosecution for the offence alleged. Once this occurs the matter then proceeds to be dealt with by the courts.
The Deputy will appreciate that road traffic legislation is the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I am informed that a number of legislative changes are contained in the Road Traffic Act, 2010 which provide that a person who is served with a summons in respect of a fixed charge offence will have a further option to pay a fixed charge, of an amount 100% greater than the original fixed charge, not later than seven days before the date of the court on which the charge is to be heard. The section further provides that, if the person pays, the fixed charge proceedings in respect of the alleged offence will be discontinued and the person need not attend the court on the day. I understand the measures necessary to enable this provision to be brought into effect are being addressed at present.
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