Road Traffic Act 1961
Special disqualification orders.
28.—(1) Where an officer of the Garda Síochána F78[or appropriate licensing authority] has reasonable grounds for believing that a person who is the holder of a driving licence is by reason of disease or physical or mental disability unfit to drive any mechanically propelled vehicle whatsoever or any class or classes of mechanically propelled vehicles covered by such licence, such officer F78[or licensing authority] may apply to a Justice of the District Court having jurisdiction in the place in which such person ordinarily resides for an order under this subsection, and if the Justice is satisfied that such person is by reason of disease or physical or mental disability unfit to drive any mechanically propelled vehicle whatsoever or any such class or classes of mechanically propelled vehicles as are within the terms of the application, he may make the appropriate order declaring such person to be disqualified for holding a driving licence until he produces to the F79[licensing authority] a certificate of fitness.
(2) Where an officer of the Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that a person who is the holder of a driving licence is incompetent to drive any mechanically propelled vehicle whatsoever or any class or classes of mechanically propelled vehicles covered by such licence, such officer may apply to a Justice of the District Court having jurisdiction in the place in which such person ordinarily resides for an order under this subsection in respect of such person, and if the Justice is satisfied that such person is incompetent to drive any mechanically propelled vehicle whatsoever or any such class or classes of mechanically propelled vehicles as are within the terms of the application, he may make the appropriate order declaring such person to be disqualified for holding a driving licence until he produces to the F79[licensing authority] a certificate of competency.
(3) An order shall not be made under this section in respect of a person unless not less than ten days’ previous notice in writing of the application for the order has been given to him.
(4) A person who is aggrieved by a special disqualification order made in respect of him may appeal to the Circuit Court.
(5) Orders made under this section are referred to in this Act as special disqualification orders.
Annotations
Amendments:
F78
Inserted (22.07.1994) by Road Traffic Act 1994 (7/1994), s. 49(1)(c), S.I. No. 222 of 1994.
F79
Substituted (12.01.2013) by Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012 (16/2012), s. 50(e), S.I. No. 5 of 2013.
Modifications (not altering text):
C35
Application of section extended (21.10.2006) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 2006 (S.I No. 537 of 2006), reg. 16.
16. Section 22(2), (4) and (5), sections 26 and 27, section 28(1), (3), (4) and (5) and sections 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 39 and 41 of the Act apply in relation to provisional licences as if a reference to a driving licence in any of those provisions were a reference to a provisional licence, except that —
(a) a consequential or ancillary disqualification order does not operate so as to disqualify a person for holding a provisional licence for a period after a specified period until he or she has produced to the appropriate licensing authority a certificate of competency,
(b) the application of section 22(5) of the Act to provisional licences does not operate so as to disqualify a person who holds a driving licence in respect of vehicles of a category or categories, for applying for a provisional licence in respect of that category or any of those categories for the purpose of learning to drive in order to pass a test where, by virtue of any provision of the Act, he or she is required to produce a certificate of competency, and
(c) where the holder of a provisional licence in respect of vehicles of a category for any period has been granted a certificate of competency in respect of that category, he or she shall not by virtue of the application of section 22(5) of the Act to provisional licences, be disqualified for applying for a driving licence in respect of that category for any period within the period for which the provisional licence has been granted.
Editorial Notes:
E314
Procedure prescribed for orders made under section (21.10.2006) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 537 of 2006), reg. 46 and part 9 (regs. 42 to 52), as amended (19.01.2013) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 6 of 2013), reg. 3, in effect as per reg. 1(2).
E315
Previous affecting provision: application of section extended (15.11.1999) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1999 (S.I. No. 352 of 1999), art. 19; revoked and superseded (21.10.2006) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 537 of 2006), reg. 5(a), and reg. 16 as per above C-note.
E316
Previous affecting provision: application of section extended (2.12.1994) by Road Traffic Act 1994 (7/1994), s. 29(1), S.I. No. 350 of 1994; repealed (30.10.2007) by Road Traffic Act 2006 (23/2006), s. 11(4), S.I. No. 718 of 2007.
E317
Previous affecting provision: application of section extended (13.11.1989) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1989 (S.I. No. 285 of 1989), art. 18; revoked and superseded (15.11.1999) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1999 (S.I. No. 352 of 1999), art. 57 and sch. 8, and art. 19 as per above E-note.
E318
Previous affecting provision: application of section extended (1.10.1984) by European Communities (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1984 (S.I. No. 234 of 1984), reg. 5; revoked (15.11.1999) by European Communities (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1999 (S.I. No. 351 of 1999), reg. 3 and superseded (15.11.1999) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1999 (S.I. No. 352 of 1999), art. 19 as per above E-note.
E319
Previous affecting provision: application of subss. (1) and (3)-(5) extended (18.03.1964) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1964 (S.I. No. 29 of 1964), reg. 18; revoked (13.11.1989) by Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations 1989 (S.I. No. 285 of 1989), reg. 60 and sch. 7.