Motorists caught drink-driving under the new automatic three-month ban system introduced last week will be able to continue driving and avoid the bans if they decide to fight their cases.
If drivers do not accept their bans when a fixed-charge notice is sent to them in the post, their cases will eventually reach the courts.
Once in the courts, if they are convicted and a ban imposed, they can choose to appeal the conviction.
And during the entire process, which would take several years, the motorists can continue to drive because their guilt has not been established under the law. They would eventually be banned if convicted and were later unsuccessful at appeal.
A senior prosecutor in the DPP’s office said recently a very large number of drivers caught drink-driving over the last 15 years had opted to fight their cases, often over of a period of years, because it meant they could continue to drive.
Source: Conor Lally, The Irish Times, 30th October 2018
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