Ireland considers higher fines for wealthier speeders

Ireland’s Road Safety Authority (RSA) wants the government to consider graduated fines for speeding motorists based on ability to pay.

Moyagh Murdock, the RSA’s chief executive said last month that the agency plans to submit a proposal on graduated fines to the Department of Transport as part of a wider series of measures designed to combat drivers who repeatedly breach road traffic laws.

Part of the reason for seeking higher fines for wealthier drivers was research carried out on behalf of the authority which showed more affluent drivers had a higher than average predisposition to violate road safety rules.

The Irish proposals are inspired by the Finnish ‘day fine’ system, in place since the 1920s, which links fines to net income. In a widely-reported case last year, Reima Kuisla, a wealthy businessman was fined EUR 54,024 for travelling at 103km/h in an 80km/h zone. The fine was calculated based on his 2013 tax return which showed a EUR 6.5 million income for that year.