All new cars should be fitted with a device to prevent them from starting unless the seat-belts are fastened, according to an Oireachtas report published today.
The Garda's Pulse computer system should be used to detect cars being driven without insurance or tax, the report from the Select Committee on Enterprise and Small Business recommends.
Measures to reduce the number of uninsured drivers from the current level of 100,000 could knock 10 per cent off insurance premiums, it adds.
Committee chairman Donie Cassidy TD said yesterday that reforms already introduced helped to cut premiums by half in recent years. These include penalty points for motorists, random breath testing, the setting up of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board and new protections against insurance fraud.
However, Mr Cassidy is expected to call on the insurance industry to pass on more of the savings it has made by cutting premiums by a further 15-20 per cent.
The report says it should be mandatory for all new cars sold after December 31st, 2008, to incorporate a blocking device that prevents ignitions unless seat-belts are fastened.
In earlier reports, the committee called for provisional licence holders to be subjected to a speed limit of 80km/h (50mph), and recommended the introduction of "black boxes" in vehicles such as school buses to monitor traffic patterns and provide data about road accidents.
As a first step, Mr Cassidy said, black boxes should be installed in 53,000 Government vehicles, while the Government should provide tax incentives to encourage the industry to install the technology in private cars.
This measure could reduce premiums by 25 per cent for just €300 a car, he said.
