But in terms with how the offence was dealt with at the roadside, I can't see what benefit there would have been in taking the woman involved to the station, having to transport all her kids there too. Have the kids sitting and waiting around a station while their mother is processed and charged. Having the kids needing minding while probably traumatised at seeing their mother handcuffed and thrown into the back of a van (again are the kids taken to the station in the van too? A car?). If signing a passport photo is a waste of gardai time, then nursing 5 kids is even worse.
Or what else, send them home? How? Taxi? Do we as tax payers pick up that tab? Arrange to be collected? By who? What if there is no one? Even if there is does the garda have to wait around doing nothing until they can get there? Well that's a great use of resources.
Good points raised here and, as the OP, this is why I thought it would be an interesting topic of discussion. I did think a small fine and 2 points was too lenient but I don't know what should have been done when you take into consideration the issues raised as quoted above.