Five years after it was first mooted by Government, the penalty points system for drivers comes into operation today - but only for speeding offences.
A driver caught speeding will receive an increased fixed fine of €80 and two penalty points.
Twelve points in a three-year period means losing one's licence for six months.
The scheme had been delayed by rows over funding and technological difficulties, and Garda representative bodies continue to express concerns about the manner of its introduction.
A spokesman for the Garda said yesterday that everything was now in place to ensure the system's effective operation from today.
Some 61 other offences, including driving with a mobile phone, driving without insurance, and driving without a seat belt, or with a passenger without one, will be allocated penalty points from next year when the computerised National Driver File is established.
While some enforcement agencies expressed a preference for the scheme to be launched in full at that point, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, decided the seriousness of the road safety issue warranted the immediate introduction of the scheme for speeding.
Mr Brennan has signalled that he may expand the scheme to include seat belt offences ahead of its full introduction to try to change driver behaviour on this issue as quickly as possible.
He said he would introduce an order in the coming weeks which would require drivers to carry a licence at all times from January 1st. No penalty points will be endorsed against offenders in this regard, however, until the points scheme is introduced in full.
The Minister said on Dublin's Newstalk 106 last night that the Government decided yesterday to introduce drivers' licences in the shape of credit cards to make them easier to carry. Officials in his department were now working on a timetable to introduce the new licence format.
Fine Gael's spokesman on transport, Mr Denis Naughton, urged the Government to review the design, location and maintenance of speed limit signs as, he said, damaged and badly located ones would from today "become the scourge of motorists".
Meanwhile, Mr Pat Costello, chief executive of the National Safety Council, urged people to focus on the benefits of the penalty points system. "I would like to put down the idea that this is a revenue-generating exercise. It's a road safety measure," he said.
One "spin-off benefit" which had not been highlighted, he said, was that the system might help to reduce non-driving-related crime. "In any jurisdiction where you have more pressure and regulations on safety there is an impact on crime generally, and that can only be good for all citizens," he said.
