Nearly 90pc of Wicklow drivers banned since 2022 have not surrendered licences

The figures were disclosed following a Parliamentary Question composed and submitted by Bray East local election candidate Aaron McAllorum, as part of his work with Catherine Murphy TD, the Social Democrats spokesperson on Transport and Justice.

They show that in 2023, approximately half of drivers complied with notices concerning penalty points and disqualifications issued by the Department of Transport, with the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) being the designated authority for which the licence should be surrendered to.

The figures nationally indicate that of the 25,605 orders to surrender driving licences only 3,463 complied with the orders.

Commenting on the figures, Mr McAllorum said: “The figures provided really do point towards some weakness and failures in the system, over the three-year period, locally and nationally only a fraction of people are taking responsibility for their disqualification by handing back the licence.

“The roads gardai can’t be expected to detect and enforce every single act of non-compliance in real time even with access to the National Vehicle Driver File, it is simply not realistic. There is a greater need for people to take personal responsibility if it has been deemed that they have their driving licence removed,” he added.

A notification of disqualification is issued by the Courts Service for drivers convicted of a court disqualification, the notification includes the requirement to surrender the driving licence or learner permit to the NDLS within 14 days of commencement of disqualification.

A notification of disqualification on penalty points and a fixed penalty drink driving disqualification is issued by the Department of Transport and includes the requirement to surrender the driving licence or learner permit to the NDLS within 14 days of commencement of disqualification.

An Garda Síochána have access to data on the National Vehicle Driver File (NVDF) as part of their Mobility Strategy and therefore can detect and prosecute a driver who continues to drive while disqualified. This is the case whether or not a licence has been surrendered. An Garda Síochána also receive data to indicate whether a licence has been surrendered or not.