Gardai have been given new powers to arrest disqualified drivers from today (Monday June 22). Minister for Transport, Paschal Donohoe, announced the move last week.
The order, section 6(b) and (c) of the Road Traffic Act 2014, is aimed at speeding up the process of dealing with drivers found to be driving while disqualified with Gardai allowed to bring the offender to court "at the next nearest opportunity" rather than having to issue a summons.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast on Friday Minister Donohoe described the issue of people driving while disqualified as "a very big problem" on Irish roads.
"While it is not possible to state precisely how many drivers may be driving while disqualified figures show that, in recent years, approximately 10 per cent of drivers disqualified in any given year were later subject to prosecution for driving while disqualified.
"Almost 13,000 drivers were disqualified in each of 2013 and 2014, with nearly 6,000 disqualified to date in 2015. The number of prosecutions for driving while disqualified was 1,286 in 2013, 1,392 in 2014, and 592 to date in 2015.
"Under the new measures, Gardaí will be able to arrest drivers driving while disqualified, and bring them to court as early as the next day, or even on the day of the arrest, if a court is sitting.
"I expect that this will have a very significant deterrent effect for persons who drive while disqualified and ultimately enhance safety on our roads."