MORE THAN HALF a million people had penalty points on their driving licences this year. 

Data released to TheJournal.ie through a Freedom of Information request shows that a total of 516,390 people had points on their licences on 30 September 2019. 

This represents a fall from the last year, when a total of 529,733 people had points on their licences on 30 September 2018. 

Similar to last year, the highest number of points were some of the most highly populated areas of the country – Dublin (106,545 points) , followed by Cork (51,917) and Galway (28,594).

The counties with the lowest number of drivers with penalty points were ones that had some of the country’s lowest populations – Leitrim with 2,904 points, Longford with 4,766 and Sligo with 6,130. 

55,677 of the penalty points placed on licences in the period covered were given to foreign licence holders.

Essentially, a penalty point is a formal reprimand by An Garda Síochána endorsed on a person’s driving licence to show that they are guilty of a specific driving offence. Such offences include speeding, breaking red lights, holding a mobile phone while driving and driving without insurance.

The information provided by the Road Safety Authority also gave a breakdown of the number of penalty points drivers had on their licenses.

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Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:

• Carlow - 6,473
• Cavan - 7,620
• Clare - 15,182
• Cork – 51,917
• Donegal - 11,704
• Dublin - 106,545
• Galway – 28,594
• Kerry - 14,688
• Kildare - 24,084
• Kilkenny - 9,829
• Laois - 9,638
• Leitrim - 2,904
• Limerick – 22,471
• Longford – 4,766
• Louth - 9,645
• Mayo – 13,605
• Meath – 19,535
• Monaghan - 6,505
• Offaly - 8,591
• Roscommon – 7,119
• Sligo – 6,130
• Tipperary – 16,625
• Waterford – 11,982
• Westmeath – 8,618
• Wexford – 19,679
• Wicklow - 15,588

Most drivers included in the list had three penalty points (360,129), while 40,063 people had five points and 51,042 had six points. 

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Overall, 16,652 drivers had seven or more penalty points. 871 drivers across the country had 12 points. 

Being issued with 12 penalty points results in disqualification for six months, while novice and learner permit drivers face disqualification if they receive seven points on their licence.

The figures give a snapshot of penalty points in Ireland, as they show the number of penalty points drivers in each county had on 30 September.

As penalty points stay on a driver’s licence for three years, these points could have been given at any stage over the past three years.

A full list of offences which can result in penalty points can be found here.