DUBLIN, Ireland: Nearly 23,000 drivers disqualified in Ireland over the past three years failed to surrender their licences as required by law — but only one has been penalised, new figures show.

The sole conviction, recorded in 2022, involved a driver who was fined and banned again under the Road Traffic Act 2010 for not handing in their licence. Data from the Department of Justice reveals that none of the other 22,711 disqualified drivers since 2022 faced penalties for the same offence.

Between 2022 and 2024, just 1,935 drivers complied with the legal requirement to surrender their licences, while 92 percent ignored it. Of 26 people who appeared in court for the offence, only one was convicted.

Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan released the figures in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Emer Currie.

The trend has continued into 2025: in the first two months of the year, only 66 of 1,533 disqualified drivers — just four percent — surrendered their licences. Offenders included motorists banned for drink-driving and those who had accumulated more than 12 penalty points.

Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien acknowledged concerns but stressed that disqualifications remain in effect regardless of whether licences are surrendered. Gardaí, he noted, have access to the National Vehicle Driver File (NVDF) under the Mobility Strategy, allowing them to detect and prosecute anyone caught driving while banned.