Motorists are being urged to slow down as penalty points are driving up insurance costs by hundreds of euros.

Analysis from Peopl Insurance has found that three points can lead to a hike in your premium by around €100 or 10%.

Receiving ten points could see a driver pay more than twice as much for insurance as a driver who is penalty-point-free.

On The Pat Kenny Show today, motoring expert Ger Herbert urged people to be careful about accumulating points.

“Anybody with three penalty points, which is one offence, could be paying up to 10% more on insurance, and a motorist with ten points is paying twice as much," she said.

“If you’re a motorist with 12 points and you’re off the road, you could struggle to get insurance for up to seven years after your disqualification.”

'Slow down'

Ms Herbert said penalties rise incrementally.

“If you look at the stats on it, it’s almost in a pyramid shape,” she said.

“With two offences, you are looking at six points, and that might mean you were caught within three weeks [of a past offence] and didn’t realise.

“Considering the premiums you’d get; it should definitely make you slow down.”

A person rides an e-scooter in Dublin city, 20/08/2020. Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Ms Herbert also explained the decision to ban e-scooters from public transport starting in October.

“There are huge issues and safety concerns around e-scooters for the simple reason that the batteries are not often regulated,” she said.

“They’re often cheaply put together, haven’t been properly tested, and fire officers have warned before to be careful about storing them in apartments overnight.”

EV batteries

She said the same does not apply to EV batteries.

“Electric cars are highly regulated and highly tested," said Ms Herbert.

“E-scooters go under the radar in that sense of regulation.

“They can be quite dodgy, those batteries, and as a result, they can be a fire risk.”

Some 124 people have been killed on roads so far this year.

Main image: A Garda from the Roads Policing Unit carrying out a speeding checkpoint using his mobility device, 21-7-24. Image: X/@GardaTraffic