One motorcyclist is killed each week on Irish roads while the Government has yet to deliver on its promise to introduce compulsory basic training for motor-cyclists, according to the Irish Insurance Federation.
In response, Minister for Transport Mr Cullen said: "On motor-cyclists, I believe compulsory training is required. My intention is to meet with interest groups shortly in advance of introducing new measures."
The number of young male drivers being killed in accidents would drop significantly if the Government made a commitment to introduce compulsory driving training, said John O'Neill, vice-president of the insurance federation.
"We have a commitment that there will be compulsory basic training for motorcyclists. But where is it? Each week we kill another motorcyclist ... Let the Government do what they said they would do and go ahead with the road safety strategy. Stop messing about. And stop killing people day in, day out."
Mr O'Neill made his comments yesterday at the launch of the National Safety Council's winter road-safety campaign, which consists of radio advertising, poster advertising and press adverts to coincide with the clocks going back for wintertime.
Also speaking at the launch was Eddie Shaw, chairman of the safety council, who said it was a tragedy that 317 people have been killed on Irish roads to date this year and that this number is expected to reach 380 by the year's end.
"Best practice tells us that the number in this country should be 240 deaths. That's 20 deaths per month. That's six deaths per 100,000 of the population. It means that we are unnecessarily killing 140 people every year and leaving something like 1,200 people with serious injuries. And by serious injuries I mean life-changing injuries," said Mr Shaw, who added that the current "policy on road safety must not be used as a political football".
The 2004 to 2006 road safety strategy was "simply not being implemented with the resources and pace it should be", he said.
The safety council's winter campaign, in co-operation with the insurance federation and An Garda Síochána, is aimed at "vulnerable" road users - pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists - who make up one-third of the 317 deaths this year to date.
Mr Shaw said that as young people were also vulnerable, road safety education programmes in primary and secondary schools, third-level colleges and local communities would be beneficial.
"Road safety should be included as part of the school curriculum. We have to understand that young drivers are not bad drivers, they're just inexperienced drivers." Mr Shaw suggested that training simulators in schools and local authorities could be introduced to teach young people about road hazards so they could make mistakes "on these training simulators rather than on the roads".
Mr O'Neill said that the numbers of young, male drivers on the roads has increased because insurance premiums have dropped.
"But those young male drivers are on the road without compulsory basic training. That is why they continue, and will continue, to kill themselves and their friends every weekend."
Road deaths: 2005 statistics