The number of law breakers caught on Northern Irish roads has become public knowledge after an annual report was published.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has released its 2024 annual report which covers motoring offences recorded between 1st January to 31st December last year.
There are some eyebrow-raising headlines in the 27-page document. But don’t worry, you won’t have to read it because Sterling Insurance has done that for you.
One quarter of Northern Irish drink and drug driving offenders are caught on a Sunday
The morning after the night before seems to be having an impact when it comes to how likely motorists are going to be caught driving while under the influence.
One in four offences for drink and drug-related offences were detected on a Sunday with many seemingly opting to “take a chance” to drive home and paying the price for it.
There were 3,158 arrests across the 12-month period for the crime. A total of 2,985 people were referred for prosecution, 10% of which came in September, with the overall year’s figures being a decrease of 5.45% on 2023.
Males accounted for over 80% of offences while 30-49 year olds made up for just over half.
The highest recorded breathalyser reading was 194, a staggering 5.54 times over the legal limit for a breath test (35 micrograms per 100 millilitres).
Unsurprisingly, the most detections were made in the capital (538) but it was in fact Fermanagh and Omagh where the highest rate of offending was found at 25 per 10,000 population. Derry City and Strabane (24), Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (22), Newry, Mourne, and Down (22), and Mid Ulster (21) all trumped Belfast (19) when it came to reviewing driving under the influence by the same criteria.
Driver clocked doing more than twice the speed limit on M2 Foreshore in Belfast
The report states less drivers were caught speeding than they were in 2023 but when you dig further into the stats it paints a very different picture.
While being found to have been travelling faster than the speed limit may have decreased year-on-year by 14% (from 5,572 to 4,793), it still remains the second highest offence that’s committed. The 8% rise in people taking speed awareness courses will have played a significant part in decreasing that number, with many motorists preferring to take the punishment of a larger fine and a day in the classroom rather than having points added to their licence.
The most recent data from the NI Road Safety Partnership (NIRSP) in 2023 detected almost 16 times more speeding offences than the PSNI (79,105). It was 93% of the combined NIRSP and PSNI total for that year. So it’s safe to say a large volume of law-offending in 2024 has been recorded elsewhere and is not contained in this document.
The worst case of speeding was recorded in Belfast on the M2 Foreshaw, with the driver being clocked doing 149mph – more than twice the speed limit on the road.
There were some other scary examples of breaking speed limits elsewhere, with one motorist caught travelling at 95mph in a 30 on Moyarget Road, Ballycastle and another being recorded driving at 121mph instead of the maximum of 45 on Glenshane Road, Knockcloghrim.
Males almost five times more likely to commit a motoring offence, says report
The report suggests men are 4.6 times more likely to commit a motoring offence than women.
A huge 82% of men compared to 18% of women found their actions saw them fall foul of the law. It is worth noting that some of these offences may be attributed to one individual for multiple rule breaking or repeat offences. But it is still a very significant stat given there’s a near 50/50 split between the genders when it comes to who holds the most licences.
It’s men who appear to have a heavier right foot, with almost three-quarters of the 2024 police figures being caused by males. But a larger weighting towards speeding (21%) actually occurs when women are behind the wheel compared to their male counterparts (12%).
Speeding, insurance-based offences and careless driving remain the areas that affect both sexes the most.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon the crime capital of motoring offences in Northern Ireland
Law breaking on the road was uncovered most in Belfast, with more than one in five of the 2024 incidents occurring in the city.
But it’s actually Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon that is the crime capital when it comes to motoring wrongdoing in Northern Ireland with 298 offences per 10,000 population.
You’re more likely to get caught speeding there than anywhere else in the country which may be due to the district’s desire to clamp down on the misdemeanour.
The district with the least number of offences is Ards & North Down despite it having the fourth-highest population of those aged 16+. It is the area with the lowest recorded number of speeders per 10,000 at only 10. This may suggest drivers are the most careful but could be indicative of the number of fixed or mobile speed cameras that operate in the area.
Other key takeaways from the PSNI report
The 27-page document provides a treasure trove of data and insights, some more of which are detailed below:
- In 2024, the number of motoring offences decreased by 16%, down to 34,795 from 41,492 in 2023
- Of the 34,795 offences this year, two thirds were referred for prosecution and one fifth were endorsable fixed penalties
- The largest offence group recorded was insurance offences with a total of 5,739 detections. However, this figure – which saw one sixth of under-18s punished for the crime – was a huge 24% decrease year-on-year
- 30-49 year olds accounted for 43% of motoring offences in the last year. This isn’t a huge surprise given this age group accounts for 35% of the population that hold licences
- While just 15% of all licence holders are in the 18-29 year old demographic, it is the second-largest offending demographic at 37%
- The 50-69 year old age group contains double the number of licence holders than the youngest bracket of drivers (18-29) but have committed nearly three times less offences
Does having a motoring offence mean I can’t get car insurance?
Breaking the law while motoring doesn’t automatically mean it’s impossible to get car insurance.
But it does depend on the nature of the offence, how many times you have offended and how long you have been driving for.
Sterling Insurance will work to find you cover that best suits your current needs given your driving history and understands the past doesn’t have to dictate your future. So get in touch to get a car insurance quote by calling 0344 381 9990 or requesting a callback at a time that suits you.
