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Banned drivers targeted in international agreement

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 28 October 2009

A pioneering deal to keep disqualified drivers off UK and Irish roads will come into force in February, Road Safety Minister Paul Clark announced today.

UK drivers disqualified for an offence in the Republic of Ireland will no longer escape that punishment when they return home. Likewise, disqualifications earned by Irish drivers while in the UK will be recognised and enforced when they return to Ireland.

The measures are the result of a deal agreed between the British, Irish and Northern Ireland Ministers and represent the first practical step of its kind in Europe.

Paul Clark said:

"Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world but we need to do everything we can to improve even further.

"If a UK driver commits a serious offence while in Ireland their ban should still apply when they return home.

"These measures will keep dangerous drivers off our roads by ensuring that disqualified drivers are not able to escape their punishment."

The agreement was the first to be drawn up under the terms of the 1998 European Convention on driving disqualifications.

The United Kingdom has made a formal declaration to the EU Council to enable the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications with Ireland from February 2010.The EU will confirm the exact date of implementation.

Notes to Editors

1. The agreement is within the framework established by the 1998 Convention on Driving Disqualifications. We believe that this is the first such instance of international cooperation within that framework.

2. In 1998, the UK and Ireland along with all thirteen (at the time) other EU Member States of the European Union signed the Convention on driving disqualification (98/C 216/01). The Convention intends to ensure that drivers disqualified from driving in a Member State other than their normal place of residence should not, on their return home, escape the consequences of that disqualification.

3. The Convention provides for six agreed kinds of conduct which will be internationally recognised for the purposes of driving disqualification. The Convention automatically comes into force across all Member States only when all original signatory States have ratified it. However, the Convention allows one EU Member State to recognise another's driving disqualifications before all Member States have ratified.

4. The agreed behaviours covered by the 1998 Convention include: reckless or dangerous driving; hit-and-run driving; driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs; speeding; and driving whilst disqualified. The Convention and therefore also today's agreement does not apply to disqualifications under the totting up of penalty points procedure.

5. The UK and Ireland implemented the necessary primary legislation to allow for ratification (in Great Britain through the Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003, and in Ireland under the Road Traffic Act (2002). The UK legislation is formulated to enter into force 90 days after the later of the necessary notifications being made by Ireland and UK to the EU Council. This means that, in practice, the legislation in UK will come into force early in February on a date to be notified by the EU authorities after receipt of the UK and Ireland declarations.

6. Mutual recognition of driving disqualification came into effect between Britain and Northern Ireland on 11 October 2004 and was extended to include the Isle of Man on 23 May 2005.

Press Enquires: 020 7944 3066 Out of Hours: 020 7944 4292 Public Enquiries: 0300 330 3000 Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk/

Contacts:

Roads ..
Phone: 020 7944 3066
nds.dft@coi.gsi.gov.uk