Thousands of Longford motorists set to pay the price for penalty points

A total of 4,486 motorists in Longford with three or more penalty points on their licence may be paying hundreds of euro more for motor insurance.

That is according to car insurance provider OUTsurance, which says many motorists may not realise the potential impact penalty points can have on their insurance premiums.

Official data for the first half of 2026 shows that 3,276 drivers in Longford have exactly three penalty points.

A further 11 motorists are on 12 points, the mandatory threshold for disqualification, while 10 drivers have 11 points and are just one offence away from reaching the threshold.

Across Ireland, 387,028 drivers hold exactly three penalty points, representing the vast majority of penalised drivers.

OUTsurance says the number of Irish drivers with penalty points has increased by almost 8%, or around 40,000 motorists, over the past year.

Ian Kennedy, Chief Marketing Officer at OUTsurance, said the figures highlight the importance of greater care on Irish roads.

“The dangers of speeding and mobile phone use are huge, but there are occasions that motorists can lose sight of that once they're behind the wheel,” he said.

“If they know there's an added cost involved too – on top of the penalty point fine – in the form of higher premiums, then maybe that will act as one more deterrent and another reason to think twice before breaking the rules.”

Mr Kennedy said insurers consider a range of factors when calculating premiums, including penalty points.

“It's not just how many points you've got but the type of offence and what kind of licence you hold matter too,” he said.

“As a general rule of thumb, the more points on your licence, the more you're likely to pay.”