"A total of 459 drivers who appeared before the District Court in connection with 480 separate penalty-points offences had the charges dismissed or struck out after making a financial contribution. The controversial practice has persisted despite the High Court ruling in 2014 that judges did not have discretion to accept donations to the poor box in lieu of penalty points, as this amounted to "indirect circumvention" of the law."
"It has also been criticised by road safety groups and senior politicians, including Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who said he was "disappointed" that the practice appears to be still in use. Figures published by Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy show that an average of 134 drivers avoid penalty points by donating to the court poor box every year."
"In 2022, a total of 133 motorists avoided penalty points in this way in respect of 134 separate offences. In the following year, 100 drivers dodged penalty points in connection with 101 offences after donating to court poor boxes. Last year, the number of drivers increased significantly to 168. These had been charged with 180 road traffic offences, but avoided getting their licences endorsed after paying into the poor box."
Since the start of 2022, 459 drivers linked to 480 separate penalty-points offences had charges dismissed or struck out after making financial contributions to court poor boxes. A 2014 High Court ruling found that accepting donations in lieu of penalty points amounted to "indirect circumvention" of the law. The practice has drawn criticism from road safety groups and senior politicians. Government figures show an average of 134 drivers per year avoid penalty points through donations, with the Dublin District Court accounting for 53% of such cases. Case counts include 133 motorists in 2022, 100 in 2023, 168 last year, and 58 in the first eight months of 2025.
Read at Irish Independent
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