Gardaí Conducted Over 1 Million Vehicle Checks in Q1 2024, Up 15% From 2026
Gardaí performed 1,072,349 vehicle checks in Q1 2024, a 15% increase from 2026, detecting 5,028 insurance breaches. A seminar will discuss these findings and continuous vehicle coverage. Concerns were raised about unrecorded penalty points and disqualifications, with 25% of disqualifications and nearly 50% of penalty points uncaptured in 2024.
Gardaí conducted 1,072,349 vehicle checks in the first three months of this year, a 15 per cent increase from the same period in 2026. Deputy Garda Commissioner Shawna Coxon will present these figures at a road safety seminar organized by Insurance Ireland and the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland.
The checks, which verify insurance, motor tax, and roadworthiness, are performed using hand-held or in-car technology, often without stopping traffic. During this period, gardaí detected and detained 5,028 vehicles for insurance breaches. The force uses active mobility apps to provide real-time access to critical vehicle and driver information from various databases.
The seminar will also discuss introducing continuous vehicle coverage, linking insurance to vehicle ownership. Separately, Susan Gray of Parc highlighted a loophole allowing convicted drivers to avoid penalty points by not producing their licenses in court. Fine Gael TD Emer Currie noted that in 2024, 25 per cent of court-ordered disqualifications and almost 50 per cent of court-issued penalty points were not recorded in the National Vehicle and Driver File, impacting enforcement.