The Garda Síochána does not have powers to impound untaxed or uninsured foreign-registered cars driven by non-residents of the State, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy said yesterday.
Mr Conroy said there was a "lacuna", or loophole, in the law that allowed vehicles driven by Irish residents and Irish-registered vehicles to be impounded but not foreign vehicles.
Commenting that there was a "major problem in the area", Mr Conroy said it was further exacerbated by alcohol consumption among some immigrant communities.
He instanced a car crash in which three immigrants had lost their lives and before which a "lot of alcohol had been consumed".
Mr Conroy said the Garda had spent almost €1 million last year in printing road-safety information in a number of languages.
While much of the cost would be an annual expense, he believed new non-national recruits to the Garda force could play a role in education.
Mr Conroy was responding to the chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, John Ellis, who said there were "daily complaints" of immigrants' vehicles not being taxed or insured or subject to National Car Test regulations.
"It is a favourite trick of these people when confronted by the guards that they have no English," he remarked.
Mr Ellis told Mr Conroy that the loophole was something the committee could look at and would perhaps recommend "legislation to allow you to seize these vehicles".
