New figures suggest Leitrim has some of the safest drivers in the country. The CSO data shows the amount of motorist locally with ten or more penalty points on their licence in 2023. Leitrim has by far the least amount of drivers with cumulative points to their names when compared to other counties. Penalty points are a formal reprimand by Gardaí following a driving offence such as speeding, mobile phone use while driving or the non wearing of seatbelts.
When a motorist accumulates 12 penalty points on their licence in a three year period, they are automatically banned from driving for six months. 14 people in Leitrim saw more than 10 points on their licence in 2023, compared to 49 in Roscommon and 70 in Longford. Overall 15,500 motorists in the Shannonside Region had at least one penalty point on their licence at the end of last year.
