Penalty points
Irish penalty points run on two numbers that are easy to confuse. Every offence has one figure for paying the fixed charge and a different, higher one for being convicted — and the total at which you are disqualified is lower for a learner or novice driver than for everyone else.
The thresholds
Two thresholds, one disqualification length
Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 2002 disqualifies a driver whose endorsed points reach a threshold — and since August 2014 that threshold has been lower for learner and novice drivers than for everyone else.
- 12Full licence holders. 3(1)(a)
- 7Learner or novice drivers. 3(1)(b)
- 6 monthsDisqualification, either way
Points stand on the record for 3 years, and reaching the threshold at any point while they stand is what triggers the disqualification. At the end of the disqualification the endorsed points are removed.
That clock can stop
The 3-year period is not a fixed countdown. Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act 2002 excludes from it any time during which you are disqualified under other provisions, or during which you cease to hold a licence at all — and the same exclusion applies to the 6-month disqualification itself. So a date worked out by adding 3 years to an endorsement is the earliest it can end, never a guaranteed one. This site models the nominal period only.
The table
Points on payment, and points on conviction
These are two different columns of the First Schedule, not two ways of describing one number. A dash in the first column means the offence has no fixed-charge route at all — it can only be dealt with by a court.
← swipe to see the whole table →
| Offence | On payment | On conviction |
|---|---|---|
| Using vehicle— ( a ) whose weight unladen exceeds maximum permitted weight, | 1 | 3 |
| Using vehicle without test certificate | 3 | 5 |
| Using vehicle without certificate of roadworthiness | — | 5 |
| Driving vehicle before remedying dangerous defect | — | 3 |
| Driving without a licence | 2 | 5 |
| Applying for a licence while disqualified for so applying | 1 | 3 |
| Failure to produce a licence to member of Garda Síochána | 1 | 3 |
| Exceeding a speed limit | 3 | 5 |
| Driving vehicle when unfit | — | 3 |
| Careless driving where the offence involves the use of a mechanically propelled vehicle | — | 5 |
| Driving dangerously defective vehicle or combination of vehicles | — | 5 |
| Parking vehicle in dangerous position | 3 | 5 |
| Using vehicle without insurance or guarantee | — | 5 |
| Failure to stop vehicle at school warden sign | 2 | 5 |
| Breach of duties on occurrence of accident | — | 5 |
| Failure to stop vehicle when so required by member of Garda Síochána | 2 | 5 |
| Furnishing false or misleading particulars in connection with application for licence | 1 | 3 |
| Driving without reasonable consideration | 2 | 4 |
| Driving a vehicle while holding a mobile phone | 3 | 5 |
| Bridge strikes, etc. | 2 | 3 |
Why some published tables disagree with this one
The consolidated Act prints amended provisions twice: once as they stand, and once as they would read if an amendment were commenced. Where an amendment never was, the second version is not law — and it is easy to read the wrong one, because only a note between them says which is which. Two offences in particular differ: a table built from the uncommenced text understates driving without a licence and overstates using a vehicle without a certificate of roadworthiness.