DUBLIN, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Irish government on Tuesday announced a new penalty system aimed to crack down on speeding in order to reduce road deaths in the country.
Under the new system, those whose speed is below 10 km/h over the speed limit will face a fine of 60 euros (about 66 U.S. dollars) plus two penalty points, and those whose speed is between 10 and up to 20 km/h over the speed limit will face a fine of 80 euros plus three penalty points, and those whose speed is between 20 to 30 km/h over the speed limit will be punished with a fine of 100 euros in addition to four penalty points.
The new regulation also rules that those whose speed is over 30 km/h over the speed limit will result directly in a court summons and the penalty on conviction would be a fine of up to 2,000 euros plus seven penalty points.
If people are found speeding over 30 km/h over the speed limit for a third time within a 12-month period, they could end up in prison for up to three months, according to the new regulation.
The current penalty for people who speed on Irish roads is 80 euros regardless of the seriousness of the speeding. The speed limit varies on different roads in different areas in Ireland.
Commenting on the new penalty system, Irish Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross said that "this graduated speeding penalty system... would send a clear message to drivers that the more they speed, the more serious consequences they face."
He said that the new system will be incorporated into the existing road traffic laws and will prove helpful for the government to achieve its set goal to reduce the annual number of road deaths in Ireland to 120 or fewer by the year 2020.
The minister did not mention when the new penalty system will be implemented.
Latest police statistics showed that in the year to Nov. 25, a total of 131 people were killed in 121 fatal collisions on Irish roads, up nearly 6 percent over a year ago. (1 euro = 1.102 U.S. dollars)
