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Harsher penalties proposed for dangerous driving, including wrong-way travel Image: Niall Carson
🇮🇪 Ireland /Crime & Justice

Harsher penalties proposed for dangerous driving, including wrong-way travel

From Irish Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The government plans to introduce stricter laws and harsher penalties for "aggravated" dangerous driving, including intentionally driving the wrong way on motorways.
  • The proposed legislation follows a fatal M9 crash that killed five teenagers and injured a family of four.
  • Officials are also discussing increased legal protection for police officers pursuing dangerous drivers and exploring new technologies to deter such behavior.

The Irish government is moving to implement tougher penalties for "aggravated" dangerous driving, with a focus on offenses such as deliberately driving the wrong way on a motorway. Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Seán Canney, announced that work on stricter laws would begin next week, aiming for enactment before the year's end. This initiative is a direct response to the fatal M9 crash that occurred earlier this month.

I think we need to make sure that when somebody does something this blatantly wrong and actually is imposing danger on other people that there are consequences for them.

— Seán CanneyMinister of State at the Department of Transport, emphasizing the need for accountability in dangerous driving cases.

The proposed legislation, stemming from discussions between the Department of Transport and the Department of Justice, includes a new offense of intentionally driving the wrong way on a dual carriageway or motorway under the existing Roads Act. While dangerous driving is already criminalized, the government believes current penalties may be insufficient. Canney expressed a desire for longer jail sentences and a societal shift that makes such behavior "intolerable."

The fatal M9 crash, which claimed the lives of five teenagers in a BMW traveling the wrong way, also resulted in serious injuries to a child and three women from another family. This incident has intensified calls for legislative action. Officials are also considering proposals to better protect gardaí (police officers) during pursuits of vehicles driving the wrong way on motorways, a measure prompted by a previous prosecution against an officer for an incident in 2021.

deliberately put other people’s lives at risk

— Seán CanneyDescribing the nature of the driving offenses that will be targeted by new laws.

In addition to legislative changes, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will share details of pilot schemes testing new technologies aimed at curbing dangerous driving. Canney also criticized social media platform TikTok for its perceived failure to remove videos of illegal and dangerous driving, accusing the company of prioritizing profit over a "moral obligation" to public safety in Ireland.

moral obligation

— Seán CanneyReferring to the responsibility of social media platforms like TikTok regarding dangerous driving content.
About this summary

Originally published by Irish Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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