More than 5,310 learner drivers have been disqualified by the courts since 2023 but just 4 per cent, or 211, have surrendered their licences, new figures show.
The disclosure follows data released last month that showed 92 per cent of the 22,712 licensed drivers disqualified by the courts in the past five years failed to surrender their permits. Just one licensed motorist was prosecuted for failing to do so in the same time period.
Parc road safety campaign group chair Susan Gray said the statistics show that the systems is a “shambles”.
The figures on learner drivers were released by the Department of Transport to Fine Gael Dublin West TD Emer Currie. In 2023, a total of 2,006 learners were banned from driving but just 80 – 3.9 per cent – surrendered their permits.
RM Block
“Little action is being taken on the persistent non-surrender of licences in court,” Ms Currie said.
Last year, only 4.4 per cent, or 78, of the 1,756 disqualified learners handed in their documents. To date this year, just 3.9 per cent of the 1,548 disqualified learners surrendered their licences.
Co Clare showed the lowest level of compliance, with just two, or 1.83 per cent, of 109 banned drivers surrendering their permits. In Co Monaghan, just one driver out of the 54 banned submitted their provisional licence.
Dublin saw 1,619 learners disqualified by the courts since 2023, but just 48, or 2.9 per cent, of them surrendered their permits.
Last month, the Department of Justice said 22,712 licensed motorists have been disqualified by the courts from driving since 2020, but just 1,935, or 8 per cent, surrendered their permits.
Ms Gray said banned drivers continue to drive “in the belief if they are stopped at a checkpoint and produce their permit, gardaí will be unaware they’ve been disqualified because there is nothing physical on their permit to alert gardaí”.
Ms Gray said “this is shocking and it just shows how broken the system is. It’s a shambles.”
Minister of State for Transport Seán Canney said the issue of drivers surrendering their licences “is the responsibility of An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and the Courts Service”.
The Courts Service said it sends details of convictions to the Department of Transport, “which is responsible for applying the penalty points” and disqualifications.
Ms Gray and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) will attend the Oireachtas Committee on Transport on Wednesday.
