Ben Adamson

The challenge set by the Court Service of Ireland was to improve the communication and clarity of fines. Existing traffic fines are currently delivered in print-only, with large, complex forms and instructions. Research was carried out in collaboration with Karina Cantu (Please see the project QR In Your Mirror).

Our research involved Gardaí, Court Service staff, and members of the public (MoP), including observations in live court situations where MoP risked losing their licence. Internationally, we examined distributed fine systems in Scotland and research on payment 'nudges'. Surveys of drivers revealed a strong preference for quick online payment to avoid additional costs.

I used service blueprints to map the end-to-end process, from the initial Garda interaction to potential court attendance. Key findings showed that inconsistent communication of payment and support options creates distrust and missed opportunities. MoP wanted to pay early and challenge fines before a court date.

I designed a multi-touch approach, using National Driver Licence Service data to enable a pre-filled payment journey across four touch points:

• Garda script: at the point of alleged offence, MoP are informed of next steps and available language support.
• SMS: notifies MoP that a payment email will arrive within five days.
• Personalised email: outlines the offence, includes a relevant road safety fact and link to payment webpage.
• Webpage: The fine can be paid immediately. Other payment options and appeal information is stacked using accordions.

A four-week pilot is proposed, measuring response time, email click-through rate, and behavioural change among repeat recipients.

This approach aligns with the Digital Services Plan 2030, the Digital Service Act, and Vision Zero road safety goals.