Loophole lets drivers off the hook on penalty points

Date Published: 20-Jul-2011

Hundreds of motorists in County Galway, who have been caught for speeding, could have their fines returned and their penalty points removed from their licence following an anomaly that has just been uncovered.

Speed vans operating from at least two locations in County Galway are issuing fines to motorists . . . but are using a wrong postal address at the location in which the speeding detections are made.

This means that the fines issued for the speeding offence can be successfully appealed by the motorists who have been caught since the privately operated speed vans were introduced.

But a major glitch has been uncovered in the whole process of issuing fines to motorists who have been caught for driving at excess speeds.

However, it has emerged that the notices of fines issued to motorists have an incorrect location at where the offence occurred.

A speed van is a common presence on the Monivea Road close to Galway Airport where motorists are ‘sitting ducks’ simply because it is a wide stretch of road where the speed limit is just 60 km/h.

Motorists caught speeding are being issued with notices saying that they have been detected at Kiltullagh, Claregalway when the correct address should be Kiltullagh, Oranmore.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.