Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Sophie Collins

Gardai hand eight drivers fines for same offence in Dublin City Centre

Gardai from Kevin Street in Dublin were conducting a high visibility foot patrol in Dublin 8 on Wednesday when they came across eight drivers all breaking the same rule of the road.

Each driver was seen by officers using their phones while driving and were issued a fixed charge penalty notice for causing danger to others on the road.

In Ireland, you can legally talk on your phone using a hands-free system, but "the Road Safety Authority advises very strongly against this."

READ MORE: Locals checked by armed gardai and detectives at cross border checkpoints

The penalty for using your phone while driving is a fixed charge of €60, and 3 penalty points.

A Garda spokesperson took to social media to confirm that: “Gardaí from Kevin Street conducted a high visibility foot patrol in Dublin 8 this morning.

“8 FCPN's were issued to drivers using their mobile phones while driving.”

The only time you can use your phone off bluetooth in Ireland is if you are calling emergency services or police.

Outside of this, you cannot have your mobile phone in your hand or support it with another part of your body, for example between your head and shoulder, when you are driving.

According to the Road Safety Authority: “Using a hands-free kit with your phone is not illegal, but it will stop you concentrating for a short time when you use your mobile phone and this puts other people using the road at risk.

“You could be prosecuted for dangerous driving, careless driving or driving without due care and attention because of this. And you could also have your licence endorsed or even lose your licence.”

READ NEXT:

Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.