Penalty Points

As an aside to the foglight fraternity post, you’d be amazed at what you can unearth reading the rules of the road.

The Road Safety Authority recently sent a copy of the rules to just about every household in the Republic. I say ‘just about’, because as with the government’s inspired reaction (stop laughing, they had to do something) to September 11, that involved sending out iodine tablets (now probably out of date, or popped into your martini as a dare) in 2002 to every household in the Republic, the definition of ‘household’ only extended as far as anyone on the electoral register (who said being an active participant in democracy wasn’t a life and death matter?). Surely, the RSA’s definition was similar. Regardless, the book makes for enlightened reading.

http://www.rsa.ie/publication/publication/upload/017024-RoTR2nd.pdf

Rather than deterring drivers from breaking the law, it surely better succeeds in illustrating just how pitiful the penalties are for performing what can only be described as some hair-raising feats, usually only performed by illustrious current and former politicians such as Jim McDaid (http://www.fiannafail.ie/person.php4?show=TD&pid=66&bid=65 ) and GV Wright (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-117065.html ).

Here’s a sample of the paltry points and fixed fines for what would seem to be pretty risky manoeuvres:

· Driving against the flow of traffic on a motorway - Points (2) Fine (€80)

· Dangerous overtaking - Points (2) Fine (€80)

· Failure to obey traffic lights - Points (2) Fine (€80)

· Driving on the hard shoulder of a motorway - Points (1) Fine (€80)

· Driving on a footpath except to access premises - Points (1 ) Fine (€60)

· Driving on a cycle track - Points (1) Fine (€60)

· Failure to comply with traffic lane markings - Points (1) Fine (€60)

So the lesson is: next time you’re stuck in traffic on the M50, nip onto the hard shoulder. You might get away with it dozens of times before being actually caught, making the fine and points you attract seemingly worth the risk. Alternatively, you could just turn around and head back home on the same carriageway against the flow of traffic, and on the hard shoulder. After all, it’ll ‘only’ cost you €160 in total, and if you can afford your SUV, you can certainly afford that.