The Government has abandoned plans for a dedicated traffic corps as detailed in the Programme for Government.
The corps was to have operated separately from the Garda with its own dedicated staff and budget, and was a major element in the Government's strategy to combat road deaths.
Its abandonment comes as the road fatality figures for the first three months of this year, 96 deaths, show a 34 per cent increase on the same period last year.
It follows a major decline the previous year due to the introduction of the penalty-points system.
Despite a delay of more than a year in the establishment of the corps, Government ministers had previously maintained that they remained committed to the idea.
However, yesterday the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, told an Oireachtas Committee that a separate traffic corps was "not an option open to me", due to legal difficulties.
It is understood the legal difficulties relate to the use of civilians, as opposed to gardaí, to prosecute traffic offences. The Government received legal advice that there was a possibility the chain of evidence could collapse if challenged in court, because of the involvement of civilians.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport confirmed that the original plans for the traffic corps had been dropped.
However, he said that the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has taken over the chair of the interdepartmental group which had been examining the plan.
He said Mr Brennan had decided to take over the chair of the committee "to give priority to the issue" and find an alternative to the traffic corps, involving the Garda Síochána.
It is expected that the new plans will involve the reorganisation of the current Garda structures relating to traffic duties.
A specific uniform and livery for Garda traffic vehicles will be considered, while the use of traffic wardens and civilians to back up gardaí in administrative areas is also under consideration.
At present, between 500 and 600 gardaí are involved in road traffic duty, divided into traffic units within each Garda division, who answer to the local chief superintendent.
The Dublin area has its own traffic division, headed by a chief superintendent. The Garda also has a national traffic unit, which formulates overall traffic policy.
Mr McDowell also told the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business, which is examining insurance costs, that the best way to deter speeding was for increased enforcement.
However, he acknowledged that both he and Mr Brennan believed there were two few gardaí involved in traffic duties.
"The numbers in traffic units of the Garda Síochána is a matter of concern to both of us."