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Motoring news

UK and Ireland agreement on banned drivers

28/01/2010

UK motorists who have been disqualified for serious offences in Ireland will also be banned from driving on their native roads, under a new law which links disqualifications across national borders.

Billed as a "groundbreaking agreement" between Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland, the law will also see Irish drivers who have been banned while in the UK having their disqualification recognised when they return home.

Although drivers who received a ban in their own country were already automatically banned abroad, until now, those who earned their disqualification in another country would effectively escape punishment when they returned to their native roads.

The law, which was first announced by the UK Government in November 2008, only pertains to reckless or dangerous driving, hit-and-run driving, drink-driving or drug-driving, speeding, and driving while disqualified.

As a result, disqualifications earned through 'totting up' endorsements on a licence - for example, reaching 12 points through the accumulation of several minor speeding convictions - will not see drivers banned when they return home.

The move is seen as a first step towards ratifying the 1998 EU Convention on driving disqualification - signed by the UK and Ireland as members of the then-15 member states. While the convention will not come into effect until all 15 original states have signed, it makes provisions for agreements between countries to recognise each other's disqualifications before the official ratification.

Road Safety Minister Paul Clark said that deaths and serious injuries on UK roads had fallen by 40% since the mid 1990s, and claimed that "we now have some of the safest roads in the world".

"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," he added.

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