11 drivers in the Shannonside region have been able to avoid penalty points by donating to charity since 2022.
The practise of donating to the poor box to avoid penalty points was ruled as inappropriate by the High Court 11 years ago, however some district courts are still giving the option to offenders.
Figures published by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy show that an average of 134 drivers avoid penalty points by donating to the court poor box every year.
Over the past three years, 10 penalty point cases were struck out of court in Roscommon after a driver made a financial contribution to the court poor box.
1 case occurred in Longford from 2022 to 2025.
They are some of the total of 459 drivers who appeared before the District Court in connection with 480 separate penalty-points offences that had the charges dismissed.
The practice has been been criticised by road safety groups and senior politicians, including Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who said he was “disappointed” that the practice appears to be still in use.
