There has been a reduction in the number of people being treated for injuries incurred in road traffic accidents in Cork and Kerry, the country's largest health board area.
The reductions coincide with the introduction of the penalty points system, the chairman of the SHB, Cllr Damian Wallace (FF), said.
Any review of the penalty points system should take into account the part played by illegal drugs, mobile phones and some prescriptive medicines in road traffic accidents, he urged.
Statistics showing a drop in Cork University Hospital from 238 patients admitted to hospital from road traffic accidents (RTAs) in a 12-month period up to end of October 2001, to 118 in a 12-month period to end of October this year have been released by the board at the chairman's request.
At Tralee, the hospital serving the Kerry, north Cork and west Limerick region, there had been a substantial drop also in the six months after the introduction.
Between May and October 2002, some 498 people attended as a result of RTAs and some 103 were admitted with 41 patients returning for orthopaedic services as a result of road accidents.
However, the number of patients at A&E from road accidents declined to 366 in the period November 2002 to April 2003, with some 68 patients admitted and some 29 referred back for orthopaedic treatment.
Cllr Wallace said "Anything that can help reduce the pain and suffering of those involved in RTAs as well as that of their families is to be welcomed."