What Car? Q&A - Do Eire penalty points count in the UK?

Q: When on holiday in Ireland, my husband was stopped by the Garda, who said he was driving dangerously.

We then got a letter saying he had to pay a fine of 80 Euros and would receive two penalty points on his licence.

Will he have the penalty points put on his licence if found guilty, even though it is an British licence?
Linda Turner

A: No, there is no 'mutual recognition' of penalty points between Ireland and the UK.

There is mutual recognition of driving bans, not points, between the Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

The European Union also wants to introduce mutual recognition for all countries in the EU, but different limits and penalty point scales make this difficult.

So far, the EU has only managed to put systems in places that make it easier to chase motorists for fines in their home country after speeding in another.