DVA officers get go-ahead for NI road-side penalties
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NORTHERN IRELAND operators face a new level of enforcement from next month when Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) oficers get the right to issue ixed penalties of up to £60 at the roadside.
At present, the penalties can only be issued by police oficers. The change brings Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK, where VOSA can issue ixed penalties (called conditional offers in Scotland).
“The level of ixed penalties will initially be £30 for non-endorsable offences and £60 for endorsable offences,” says a DVA spokeswoman.
“Endorsable offences that could attract penalty points relate to insurance and mechanical defects including steering, brakes and tyres.” An endorsable offence will typically attract either three or six points, depending on how serious it is. The DVA plans to introduce graduated ixed penalties and a deposit scheme later in the year. The deposit scheme takes up to £900, depending on the number of offences, from foreign operators. If they successfully defend the charge, the money is returned.
DVA oficers have been able to stop vehicles without a police oficer being present for a number of years. “If it’s implemented properly, it will be good for the industry,” says Paul Barton, MD of Belfastbased Intercity Transport. “We have a lot of operators that are not as diligent as they might be. This could weed out some of the unfair competition if it’s fairly applied.” He says it’s important that drivers report any penalty issued to their employers otherwise the accumulated points could affect the O-licence.