Penalty points for more than 3,700 Clare drivers

THE largest increase in penalty points received by motorists in the country this year has been recorded in County Clare, where more than 3,700 drivers have been penalised in the first six months of the year, compared with 2,800 penalised in the county during the whole of 2010.
Clare also registered the largest increase in speeding offences from January to June, with counties Limerick and Kerry a close second.
The doubling of these figures for the county is being attributed in part to the introduction of more privately operated Go Safe speed cameras, which are now a regular sight across the county.
Inspector John Galvin, head of the road traffic division in the county, said the speed cameras helped gardaí by contributing to an increased presence on the ground.
“It is disappointing to see that so many people have been detected. However, it’s all in an effort to reduce deaths on the road. With the bigger presence and the speed vans being deployed at various locations, it is augmenting our own operations,” Inspector Galvin said.
He added that although Clare’s figures are extremely high, these new speed cameras are “taking effect on the road”.
“It should make people be more mindful and should concentrate the minds of motorists. It is a positive development in the battle against deaths on the roads,” he concluded.