More than 50 new speed cameras will be introduced across the State before the end of the year, a spokesman for the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said last night.
Their location would be decided by the gardaí and the National Roads Authority, he said, but many of them would be placed in key accident blackspots.
It had also been decided that the company operating them would be paid a flat fee, regardless of the number of drivers penalised.
This would avoid the situation in other countries where motorists claimed the cameras were unfair because the operators received more money when they recorded more driving offences.
Tenders will soon be sought from private firms for the operation of the cameras.
The spokesman said Mr Brennan believed the penalty points system was changing driver behaviour and many were driving more responsibly since it was introduced.
There had been 68 fewer deaths in the past 14 months since penalty points were introduced than in the previous 14 months, he said.
The inclusion of seat-belt offences in the penalty points system and the extended drink-driving powers were also having an impact.
Up to yesterday evening, 14 people had died in road traffic accidents since the beginning of the year.
This compares with 20 road deaths for the full month of January last year and 35 deaths in January 2002.
