Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe today announced a raft of changes to the Penalty Points System. The one that everyone has their knickers in a twist over seems to be the NCT test. The minister claimed that the average waiting time to get an NCT appointment is just 11 days but the anecdotal evidence that has spewed forth drastically contradicts that and months rather than days seems to be the norm
Here's what you need to know:
New offences
The new offences that will now draw penalty points include:
- Failure by learner or novice drivers to display L plates or N plates respectively on their cars;
- Drivers breaking a ban on U-turns;
- Breaking rules on the use of mini roundabouts;
- Offences relating to the size and weight of larger vehicles;
- Going beyond no-entry to vehicles signs;
- Disobeying traffic control signs;
- and driving without a licence plate or with one that has been altered inaccurately.
Offences that will now face a change to the number of penalty points they now carry will include:
- Driving without a test certificate;
- Dangerous parking;
- Failure to keep to the left-hand side of the road;
- Dangerous overtaking;
- Driving across the road’s middle line;
- Failure to stop for a stop sign;
- Failure to yield at a yield sign or yield line;
- Not following traffic signs at junctions;
- Breaking traffic light rules;
- and breaking of speed restrictions.
