Almost four out of five drivers on Irish roads who were summoned to court over penalty points in the past two years have got away with a conviction.
Nearly 150,000 drivers have been ordered to appear in court in the last two years weren't convicted due to a number of reasons, including not being served their summons to the correct address, and claiming never to have been issued the fine notice in the post.
The fines are sent out via the regular post,instead of through registered post, so there's no way of telling if they actually get delivered. We're not saying people are lying in court, or that An Post aren't doing their job, but something's up here.
The Gardai have claimed that serving summonses correctly is being made harder because of inaccurate address data. Whether it's people not notifying them of a change in address, or simply living in an apartment block, which as we all know makes getting post an absolute pain. Unless, you know, if you just write your apartment number on the address. I know, rocket-science stuff.
The average number of drivers escaping without conviction is 77%, with Co. Kerry holding the highest number, 89%, and Co. Wexford being the lowest on 67%.
Via Irish Times
