Mobile phone sting: Huge number of Kilkenny drivers hit with fines and penalty points as gardaí crack down

A large amount of fixed charge notices were issued to drivers in Kilkenny City yesterday following a lunchtime gardaí operation. 

Members of the county’s roads policing unit conducted checks on Wednesday, January 14, specifically targeting the use of mobile phones when driving.

Following this, 20 fixed charge notices were issued in total to motorists who were texting, talking, scrolling and navigating while holding their phones. This amounts to 60 penalty points issued, which were accompanied by fines also.

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Along with this, a driver had his “recently” purchased car seized after failing to insure it, despite buying the vehicle over a month ago, on December 5. A court date will follow. 

Separately, Thomastown gardaí made a further 10 detections during yesterday's operation, meaning drivers who were “chancing it” in more rural locations were equally penalised.

Commenting on this, a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána in the county said, “We’d love to mount one of these days of action and catch nobody but that's a long way off, unfortunately.”