Nearly 23,000 disqualified drivers have failed to surrender their licences as legally required over the past three years, yet only one person has been penalised for this offence, according to new Department of Justice data.
The figures reveal a staggering 92% non-compliance rate, with just 1,935 drivers who were disqualified in court since 2022 actually handing over their licences as mandated by law. The remaining 22,711 drivers retained their documents despite being legally prohibited from driving.
Only one individual was convicted of failing to submit a licence following disqualification under the Road Traffic Act 2010, receiving a fine and an additional driving ban. While 26 other people appeared in court for the same offence during this period, none were convicted.
The statistics, published by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Emer Currie, show the enforcement gap has continued into 2025. Of 1,533 drivers disqualified in the first two months of this year, only 66 – just 4% – complied with licence surrender requirements.
Those disqualified included drivers banned for drink-driving offences and accumulating more than 12 penalty points on their licences.
Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien acknowledged the concern but emphasized that disqualifications remain effective regardless of licence surrender. “The individuals in question are fully aware that the disqualification from driving is in effect regardless of whether their licence is surrendered,” he said.
The minister noted that An Garda Síochána can access the National Vehicle Driver File to detect and prosecute drivers who continue driving while disqualified, whether or not they have surrendered their physical licences.
However, the data raises questions about enforcement priorities and whether the widespread failure to surrender licences undermines road safety measures. The physical act of surrendering a licence serves as both a symbolic acknowledgment of the penalty and removes a document that could potentially be used for identification or other purposes.
The figures highlight a significant gap between court orders and compliance, with virtually no consequences for ignoring legal requirements to surrender driving licences following disqualification.