Almost 14,000 Mayo motorists face higher insurance costs after penalty points

Almost 14,000 motorists in Mayo have three or more penalty points on their driving licences, and insurance provider OUTsurance warned that penalty points can also have an impact on the cost of motor insurance.

According to analysis of official data for the first half of 2026, 13,990 Mayo drivers have three or more penalty points on their licences.

The figures show that 10,918 drivers in Mayo have exactly three points, while 28 motorists have 11 points and 18 have reached 12 points – the mandatory threshold for disqualification.

Nationally, 387,028 drivers have exactly three penalty points, representing the vast majority of motorists with penalty points.

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 need for greater care on Irish roads, particularly in relation to speeding and mobile phone use.

“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.

He added that insurers consider a range of factors when calculating premiums, including penalty points, the type of offence and the type of driving licence held.

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

Speeding remains the most common penalty-point offence nationally, accounting for 441,602 notices, that is 64,93 percent of all offences in the data analysed.

Holding a mobile phone while driving was the second-largest category, accounting for 68,077 notices, or 10,01 percent

Other significant categories included driving as an unaccompanied learner, driving without reasonable consideration, driving without an NCT certificate and driving without insurance.

OUTsurance said the figures demonstrate that the consequences of driving offences can extend beyond the initial penalty, with motorists potentially facing increased insurance costs depending on their circumstances.