The insurance industry has called for greater State resources for road accident prevention and the extension of the Garda Siochana's Operation Lifesaver to every division.
Speaking at opening of the National Safety Council's Christmas anti-drink driving campaign, the Irish Insurance Federation's chief executive, Mr Mike Kemp, said the results from the Garda's traffic campaign had shown that deaths on the roads could be reduced.
He congratulated the Safety Council on its work but said there was a need for more resources. At present, the Safety Council's budget was only some £1.5 million and it was also responsible for water and fire safety.
"The IIF has long argued that effective enforcement of road traffic legislation is a key part of any road safety strategy. Indeed the evidence provided by Operation Lifesaver in Louth and Meath during the second half of the year demonstrates clearly what can be achieved when the Garda is allocated the resources to maintain a highly-visible presence on the roads," he said.
The Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Robert Molloy, told the press conference that an additional £50,000 was being allocated for road safety advertising over the Christmas. The money would be spent on radio advertisements at peak driving times.
The Garda Deputy Commissioner, Mr P.J. Moran, said that up to Thursday the death rate on the roads this year was 412, compared with 404 for the comparable period in 1996. From Monday Operation Lifesaver would be modified to put greater emphasis on catching drunk drivers, and some 40,000 checkpoints would be mounted over Christmas.
He said the Garda would be introducing new operations next year, including speed cameras, more mobile detection units and laser systems for detecting speeding drivers.