Increase in Cork drivers using phone while driving as more fines issued

More than 6,000 fines were issued to Cork drivers for the offence of holding a mobile phone while driving from 2022 to 2024, with a dramatic increase in County Cork in that time.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan shared data on the number of fixed charge notices issued for driving while holding a mobile phone under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 2006.

It prohibits holding a mobile phone while driving a mechanically propelled vehicle in a public place.

A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €2,000.

The data, provided to Galway Fianna Fáil TD John Connolly in response to a parliamentary question, showed that overall, 59,603 people in Ireland have been issued fines for mobile phone use while driving over the three-year period.

Broken down, that was 18,609 in 2022; 19,106 in 2023, and 21,888 in 2024.

From January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024, inclusive, there were 3,422 fines issued in Cork city and 2,732 in Cork County, a total of 6,154.

In Cork city, the number of fixed charge notices issued remained relatively steady over the three years, declining slightly from 1,167 in 2022 to 1,145 in 2023, and 1,110 in 2024, a 5% decrease.

Meanwhile, the figures in Cork County have increased dramatically over the period, with 729 fines issued in 2022, 749 in 2023, and 1,254 last year.