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 529,733 people had points on their licences on 30 September 2018. 

This represents a fall from last year, when a total of 582,738 people had points on their licences on 30 September 2017. 

The highest number of points were in Dublin (108,104), followed by Cork (54,342) and Galway (29,620). 

The counties with the lowest number of drivers with penalty points were Leitrim with 2,875, Longford with 4,455 and Sligo with 5,954

Foreign licence holders made by 58,907 of the penalty points recorded. 

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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Similar to last year, most drivers had three penalty points (370,969), while 42,186 people had five points and 51,681 had six points. 

Overall, 16,680 drivers had seven or more penalty points. However, just 768 drivers 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.

With reporting by Clíodhna Russell