The Garda Commissioner tonight hit out at the hypocrisy of motorists who called for increased enforcement to cut deaths on the roads.
Noel Conroy said these people were strongly resistant to such enforcement when it involved themselves.
"Each of us has had the experience of motorists caught for speeding or other road traffic offences responding with the comment that we should be doing something more useful - forgetting that lives are lost on Irish roads almost every day," he said.
Mr Conroy said it was regrettable there had been an increase in road deaths last year and called for a change in public attitudes to driving carefully and within the law.
"This can only be achieved through an education process. If enforcement has to be an element of that process, An Garda Siochana will continue to play its part in it," he said.
There have been more than 100 people killed on the roads so far this year and on current trends, the Government is almost certain to miss its road safety strategy target of reducing road deaths to below 300 this year.
Mr Conroy told delegates at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) that the Garda Traffic Corps was continually being expanded and that new enforcement strategies were being drawn up.
Currently garda experts have to be sent from Dublin to investigate fatal road crashes around the country but a forensic collisions investigation unit is now to be established in every garda division.
Mr Conroy acknowledged that the overall detection rates for crime had suffered because of the diversion of garda resources to tackle drug-related gun crime, which includes an increase in the number of armed patrols in Dublin in recent weeks.
But he said the current detection rate of 35 per cent still compared well to international levels and added that he was very proud of the work being done by gardai.
"We are doing extremely well as regards individuals trafficking drugs," he said.
Mr Conroy said that although the level of help the Garda received in tackling drug-related shootings was 'nil', he was confident people would still be brought before the courts in the near future.
He referred to media reporting, which he said played a large part in the public perception of the level of crime.
"Repulsive crimes are particularly newsworthy and will be reported on prominently, contributing to a belief that such crimes are common and pose an imminent threat to society. The danger in this is that a partially informed public opinion may clamour for crime prevention or detection that the situation may not warrant, or which deeper consideration would show to be effective."
The lack of adequate equipment for gardai to carry out their job was a persistent cause of complaint at the AGSI conference.
Mr Conroy said that the fleet of Garda cars all met the highest EU safety standards and added that delays in purchasing anti-stab vests and extendable batons had been due to the need to identify the best equipment.
He said that after hearing complains from AGSI members, he had ordered 1,700 personal computers to be distributed to stations throughout the country.
The contract to supply the force's new digital radio communications system has been put out to tender and the roll-out is due to commence in January next year.