Bans recognised across borders

Added on Friday, January 29th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

New laws come into force today that will ban motorists who have been disqualified in the UK or Republic of Ireland from taking to the roads.

Under the new law, any motorist who has been disqualified in either the UK or Ireland will see that disqualification enforced across the border as part of a new co-operative agreement between the British, Irish and Northern Ireland transport authorities. It means that UK drivers disqualified for serious offences in the Republic of Ireland will not be able to drive on their return to the UK until their disqualification expires.

Similarly, Irish licence holders who commit an offence in the UK will see their disqualification enforced in Ireland.

The agreement comes as part of a scheme to ensure that driving offences and penalties are uniformly recognised across the European Union.

“We’ve cut the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 40% since the mid-1990s – that’s more than 19,000 fewer deaths or serious injuries in a year and means we now have some of the safest roads in the world,” said Road Safety Minister Paul Clark.

“But we need to continue to work to make our roads even safer and if a UK driver commits a serious offence while in Ireland it is right that their ban should still apply when they return home.

“From today this new law will ensure that disqualified drivers are not able to escape their punishment and so keep dangerous drivers off the roads.”

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