European law aims to make sure foreign drivers are posecuted for traffic offenses on our roads.
Under an existing EU law, those caught speeding or skipping a red light should receive a fine.
But the European Commission estimates 40 per cent of those fines go unpaid.
Tracking down foreign drivers, sending out fines and pursuing payments is time consuming and costly.
Now the European Parliament is working on an update to the law, officially titled the “cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences”.
It may sound technical, but thousands of people are killed and injured on Europe’s roads every year.
The EU also wants to expand the scope of traffic offences covered. Under the European Commission proposals published earlier in the year, foreign drivers could be pursued for:
- not keeping sufficient distance from the vehicle in front;
- dangerous overtaking;
- dangerous parking;
- crossing one or more solid white lines;
- wrong-way driving;
- not respecting rules on the use of emergency corridors;
- the use of an overloaded vehicle.
Irish Green MEP, Ciarán Cuffe, is involved with the negotiations in the European Parliament. He wants to see the law made to work.