Ireland considers linking speeding fines to income

Ireland’s Road Safety Authority (RSA), an ETSC member, says it is seriously considering making proposals to link speeding fines to income.

The announcement follows changes to the structure of speeding fines in the UK that came into force last month.

The UK has had income-linked speeding fines for some time, but the levels were increased last month for the most serious offences.  Drivers can now be fined up to 175% of their weekly income, for example for driving at 101 mph on the motorway where the speed limit is 70 mph. However the fines are capped at a maximum of £2,500, or £1,000 for offences committed on non-motorway roads.

Countries including Finland also have income-linked speeding fines known as ‘day-fines’. There are examples of fines in excess of €100,000 for the wealthiest offenders.

The RSA says it will submit its proposals to the Irish Department of Transport as soon as possible.

In another speed-related development, Dublin is rolling out an extension of 30 km/h limits to cover most of the city – the extension to the area covered by 30km limits was announced in December.