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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Only 60 of 4,800 dangerous driving reports to online Traffic Watch system result in a fine
Only a small percentage of the thousands of reports to the garda online Traffic Watch system result in fines being issued to drivers. The online Traffic Watch system has received 4,885 reports of dangerous driving in the first nine months of operation, but just 60 Fixed Charge Notices have been issued to drivers so far on the back of the reports. The online system, which allows members of the public to report dangerous driving, replaced the Traffic Watch phoneline which operated for 10 years. On the back of the 4,885 reports, 60 Fixed Charge Notices have been issued, of which 30 have resulted in the payment of a fine so far. The statistics were released to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide who said it raises concerns that such a small fraction of fines emanated from a large volume of incidents reported through the online system. "It would be important to know how resourced this system is to carry out its work, given the wider failure of successive governments to adequately staff the Gardaí," said Mr Quaide. Once received, the online reports are logged by garda staff at the Garda Information Services Centre (GISC) who then forward the reports to the superintendent in the relevant area to progress. A member of An Garda Síochána is then appointed to investigate the complaint, contacting the person who submitted the report to ascertain what occurred, whether there were any other witnesses and to take a written statement. Photographs and videos of incidents cannot be uploaded as part of the initial complaint but can be handed over to the investigating garda. If it is believed an offence has been committed following the investigation, a file is submitted to the superintendent who will decide what, if any action, is to be taken. Traffic Watch has been hailed as a very important tool by Gardaí as it "empowers responsible road users to work with An Garda Síochána in enhancing road safety for all". "Traffic watch has been important over the years in providing an opportunity where responsible and safe road users can report aggressive and careless drivers," garda assistant commissioner Paula Hilman previously said. The system is designed to address inappropriate and dangerous driving behaviour that occurs on the roads but does not lead to an immediate emergency situation, such as illegal parking, tailgating, or use of a phone while driving. Reports made are not anonymous and complainants are required to provide contact details and can potentially be called to give evidence in court. Bank holiday weekend operation Meanwhile, gardaí were out on roads across the country as part of a bank holiday roads policing operation which saw 1,030 drivers caught speeding in the first two days. Among those were a driver in Midleton, Cork, who was detected doing 151km/h in a 100km/h zone on the N25; another in Belturbet, Cavan, driving at 143km/h in a 100km/h zone; and one driving at 103km/h in a 60km/h zone in Ballaghadereen, Roscommon. The first 48 hours of the operation also saw 54 people arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving while fines were also issued to drivers using their mobile phones and for seatbelt offences.
Irish Examiner
12-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Ireland has paid over €11m in fines for missing deadlines to incorporate EU directives into law
Delays in transposing EU law have led to over €11 million in fines being levied on government departments in recent years. Under EU law, transposition is the process of incorporating EU directives into the national laws of individual Member States. Unlike regulations and decisions, directives are not directly applicable throughout the EU but require national laws to incorporate their rules into national legislation. The Member States must adopt these national measures by a deadline, which is specified in each directive. In a recent parliamentary response to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris revealed that a total of €9 million had been paid to the EU for transposition delays. He said over Ireland's 50 years of EU membership, approximately 4,000 directives have been transposed into Irish law. "The vast majority are transposed on time, usually two years following publication," Mr Harris's response said. "However, where this does not happen, the European Commission can open infringement proceedings against Ireland. Most infringements are resolved (once transposition is completed) at the initial stages of the infringement proceedings (Letter of Formal Notice or Reasoned Opinion). Where this does not occur, the European Commission can refer Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union for non/incomplete transposition." Fines for missing deadlines Mr Harris said the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) imposed a lump sum penalty in 2020 of €2million on Ireland for the delayed transposition of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive, but that Ireland's completion of transposition prior to the CJEU ruling in July 2020 mitigated daily fines being imposed for any continued non-compliance. The lump sum payment of €2 million was paid to the European Commission, and the infringement case against the Department of Justice formally closed in June 2021. In 2024, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media was fined for a delay in transposing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive under which Ireland has responsibility for regulating video-sharing platforms and streaming services that are established here for the whole of Europe. This resulted in a €2.5 million lump sum fine and €2.64 million in daily fines levied at €10,000 daily. In February 2024, the CJEU imposed a lump sum fine of €2.5million for Ireland's failure to notify the full implementation of the revised AVMSD into law. Mr Harris's response says the first tranche of daily payments of €1.83 million was paid in October of that year. In December 2024, the European Commission wrote to Ireland to state that by virtue of additional measures it had communicated to the Commission, it considered Ireland to have completed transposition of the Directive. The final tranche of daily payments was paid on January 31, 2025, and the infringement case is awaiting formal closure. Also in 2024 the Department of Environment Climate & Communications was hit with a €4.5 million lump sum fine for delays related to the European Electronic Communications Code (Recast) Directive, which aims to strengthen consumer protections for phone users. Ireland fully transposed the directive in November 2023, but the CJEU imposed a lump sum fine of €4.5million for failure to transpose the directive within the required time period. The lump sum fine was paid on July 3, 2024, and the infringement proceedings formally closed on October 2, 2024. Hate crime and cyber laws Last week, the EU gave Ireland two months to implement separate EU laws on hate speech, cyber security, and cross-border arrests or face being hauled before the European Court of Justice. In addition to legal action on these three EU laws, the European Commission has also started formal proceedings against Ireland for failing to correctly transpose a directive on landfills. In a statement, the European Commission detailed three laws that it says Ireland has failed to implement and has sent 'reasoned opinions' to the Government saying it has two months to address the issues or, potentially, be taken to court. Read More Ireland faces court action over EU hate crime and cyber laws
