Minister to meet gardai over road deaths rise

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, is to meet Garda assistant commissioners this week to discuss the enforcement of penalty…

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, is to meet Garda assistant commissioners this week to discuss the enforcement of penalty points.

It is understood the Minister will demand a stricter enforcement of the law with regard to penalty points for road traffic offences. The issue of higher visibility policing will be central to the discussions, it is reported.

The meeting comes amid the release of Garda figures that show road deaths for May and June to date are up on those of last year. A total of 38 people were killed on the roads this May, compared to 20 for May 2002. A further 35 people died in road traffic accidents thus far in June, compared to 34 for the same period last year.

The figures represent a reversal of the trend to April this year of lower road deaths - a phenomenon that the government attributed to the penalty points system introduced last November.

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Twelve people were killed this weekend on Irish roads, with 23 dying in the past 11 days. Road death figures for June now stand at 35, a figure that Mr Brennan is reported to be "disappointed" with.