Even further Penalty Points offences to come...

[MsAnneThrope]

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has announced a number of addditional new offences that will attract penalty points.

(01) Failing to have an NCT up to date: 5 points
(02) Driving a dangerously defective vehicle: 5 points
(03) Driving without a certificate of road worthiness: 5 points
(04) Driving a vehicle without fixing a fault uncovered at the NCT: 3 points
(05) Drivers of trucks that strike an overhead bridge: 3 points

However, a leaked document from the Department of Transport reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg and significant new offences are to be introduced after the Local Elections in June. It is understood the Government is conscious of a significant fall in popularity and is deferring these new offences until then, so as to not suffer further deterioration in support. They include:

(06) Missing a hubcap - 3 points and €500 per hubcap
(07) Dirty alloy wheels - 3 points and €500 per dirty alloy
(08) Dead insects on grille or windscreen - 1 point and €100 for every 10 insects found. Gardai will be issued with new hand-held insect counting devices
(09) "No Fear" stickers anywhere on vehicle - €25,000 fine, confiscation of the Honda Civic and lifetime ban from driving
(10) Fitting an L-plate sticker the wrong way around on windscreen - €10,000 fine, lifetime ban from driving and compulsory attendance of 1 year in Junior Infants again
(11) Attaching a GAA county flag to aerial - 5 points and €2,500 fine
(12) Having a "Baby on board" sign and no baby in vehicle - 5 points and €5,000 fine
(13) Mini drivers with a "My other car is a Porsche" sticker - 3 points and €1,000 fine
(14) Porsche drivers with a "My other car is a Mini" sticker - No penalty points but will incur a €1 fine
(15) Fluffy dice hanging from rear view mirror - 5 points and €5,000 fine
(16) Wearing a tweed cap while driving - 3 points and €2,500 fine
(17) Wearing a baseball cap while driving - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 3 year ban from driving
(18) Applying make-up while stopped in traffic - 6 points and €5,000 fine
(19) Applying make-up while driving - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 3 year ban from driving
(20) Shaving while stopped in traffic - 6 points and €5,000 fine
(21) Shaving while driving - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 3 year ban from driving
(22) Driving to mass or shops in a tractor - 3 points and €3,000 fine
(23) Possession of a Country & Western CD or cassette in vehicle - 6 points and €5,000 fine
(24) Possession and playing of a Country & Western CD or cassette in vehicle - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 2 year ban
(25) Driving with a full ashtray of cigarette butts - 3 points and €3,000 fine
(26) Taking longer than 20 seconds to pay a toll at a toll bridge - 5 points and €4,999.99 fine, payable in 1 cent coins only and in person at local council office
(27) Taking longer than 1 minute at a drive-in ATM - 5 points and €5,000 fine
(28) Driving past the ordering point of a drive-in takeaway and having to reverse (or walk back) to place your order - 6 points and €10,000 fine
(29) Putting car in neutral and applying handbrake while stopped on a level road in traffic - 3 points and €2,500 fine
(30) Not moving within three seconds of a light turning green - 3 points and €2,500 fine
(31) Taking up 2 parking spaces through bad parking anywhere - 5 points and €5,000 fine
(32) Driving with fog lights on in good clear weather - 5 points and €5,000 fine
(33) Driving a convertible with the roof down when the temperature is below 12 degrees celsius, just to show off - 3 points and €2,500 fine
(34) Driving a convertible with the roof down when its raining - 6 points and €5,000 fine
(35) Driving a convertible with the roof down when you're wearing a wig - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 1 year ban
(36) Riding a Honda 50 motorcycle with more than 2 bags of shopping - 3 points and €1,500 per excess shopping bag
(37) Being in the wrong lane at a roundabout and having to cut across traffic - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 1 year ban from driving
(38) Stopping your vehicle on a public road to chat to an acquaintance who is also stopped on his/her side of the road thus blocking the road in both directions - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 1 year ban from driving for both drivers
(39) Driving with one hand sticking out of a sunroof or one hand hanging out the driver's side window - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 1 year ban from driving
(40) Picking your nose while stopped in traffic - 3 points and €3,000 fine
(41) Picking your nose while driving - 6 points and €6,000 fine
(42) Eating contents of a picked nose, whether stationary or moving - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 1 year ban
(43) Spitting out the window of a stationary vehicle - 3 points and €3,000 fine
(44) Spitting out the window of a moving vehicle - 6 points and €6,000 fine
(45) Spitting out the sunroof of a moving vehicle when there is a convertible with its roof down directly behind you and (a) the temperature is 12 degrees celsius or higher and (b) it is not raining - 6 points and €6,000 fine
(46) Waving a hurley out the window or sunroof of a moving vehicle - 3 points and €1,500 fine
(47) Reading or attempting to read a map while driving - 5 points and €5,000 fine
(48) Slapping your hands on the dashboard or steering wheel while listening to music - 3 points and €3,000 fine
(49) Slapping your hands on the dashboard or steering wheel while simultaneously bopping your head to the music - 12 points, €10,000 fine and 1 year ban
(50) Driving with children who kneel and face backwards in the back seats, staring at traffic behind them - 6 points and €5,000 per guilty child

The Department is investigating further offences and measures to make our roads safer. These will be announced after the next Lisbon referendum.

[Evestown2]

lol you had me going for a while

[wexfordman]

Heard this today, and got a bit worries, so checked my nct cert, expired end of march :-0
I got no notification, and no appointment, thought they had to send you one, but apparrantly not anymore.

Whatever bout the nct, the nose picking one is definately going to land me a few points!!

[perprojustice]

does no. 21 refer to male or female? It seems very severe

[Ah Well]

Heard this today, and got a bit worries, so checked my nct cert, expired end of march :-0
I got no notification, and no appointment, thought they had to send you one, but apparrantly not anymore.

Whatever bout the nct, the nose picking one is definately going to land me a few points!!

I got an NCT notification .... which arrived 6 months after the expiry date of the last NCT CErt (and yes I know I know one shouldn't wait to get the Notification and should go ring up and arrange an NCT if due etc etc)

Motto of the story is DONT wait for the Notification and just diary when the current one will expire and sort it out before the expiry date

This time I just decided to wait until the notification came before doing the NCT .... it arrived 6 months late so the NCT Cert I now have will only do for 18 months until the next NCT is due ..... but I knew that anyway

[wexfordman]

I got an NCT notification .... which arrived 6 months after the expiry date of the last NCT CErt (and yes I know I know one shouldn't wait to get the Notification and should go ring up and arrange an NCT if due etc etc)

Motto of the story is DONT wait for the Notification and just diary when the current one will expire and sort it out before the expiry date

This time I just decided to wait until the notification came before doing the NCT .... it arrived 6 months late so the NCT Cert I now have will only do for 18 months until the next NCT is due ..... but I knew that anyway

Yeah, 5 penalty ponts and 1500 euro fine says so too

Sods law, I'm gonna get stopped tomorrow!!

[Ah Well]

Yeah, 5 penalty ponts and 1500 euro fine says so too

Sods law, I'm gonna get stopped tomorrow!!

Tho I have no doubt that the lawyers acting for someone in Court re the 5 penalty points thing will wheedle in the argument that their client never got the NCT notification in the post.

As an aside I know of one District Court Judge (who shall remain nameless) when cases come before them where ppl have not paid the On the Spot fine with 2 auto penalty points (which increases to 4 penalty points if it goes to Court and a conviction ensues) and where the Judge is simply told that the person did not get the Notice in the post (and these notices are not sent by registered post - they issue by ordinary post as far as I know), then the Judge strikes them out. You're taking a chance tho letting it off to Court -> if that Judge is missing or ill or whatever, it might not go so smoothly in front of their replacement

Btw re this 5 penalty points for no NCT ... .is that what ya get with the On the Spot Fine and what does it increase to if it goes to Court afterwards? 10 penalty points? (12 Penalty Points means Disqualification from driving)

[MsAnneThrope]

does no. 21 refer to male or female? It seems very severe

Male. Waxing behind the wheel is post-Lisbon I believe