The Irish Insurance industry has voiced concern at news that only three of the 20 fixed speeding cameras in the State are operational at any one time.
The Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) said the news would only work to further undermine confidence in the penalty points system.
Expressing support for the aims of the system, a spokesperson for the IIF said the success of the penalty points will only be determined by proper enforcement. He referred to a recent Government report which concluded the public's perception of being caught speeding is 3 per cent. "This report calculates that, based on the number of fines being issued, there is a only one in 1,400 chance of being caught speeding."
It emerged last week that three working cameras are rotated between the 20 fixed boxes. Each roll of film takes up to 800 shots, two per vehicle. The distance the car has travelled between the first and second photographs determines its speed.
According to Finbar Crowley of the National Roads Authority, there are reasons why only three cameras were bought. He says the standard ratio elsewhere is one camera to every 11 or 12 mountings. As the cameras are more expensive than the boxes, it was not economical to place a camera in each box.
In any case the system is designed principally as a deterrent. For this reason the box flashes when it detects a speeding vehicle whether or not there is a film inside.
The Department of Transport and the insurance industry are currently involved in negotiations on how to reward drivers who do not collect penalty points. The Minister has said he wants a reduction in law-abiding drivers' premiums of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent. Insurance companies, however, are resisting the move.
The details of the number of operational speeding cameras is likely to be used to support calls to the Government that greater focus on enforcement is required before long-term premium reductions can be introduced.
According to Martin Long of the IIF: "We are not taking from the principle or concept of penalty points. However, it needs more than policy formulation through publicity to sustain it. To give it confidence it needs a proper computer system and structure for its potential to be utilised.
"If there is a lack of infrastructure, such as fixed cameras and other elements of enforcement such as a dedicated Traffic Corps, the public will begin to disrespect the new systems."
Details of the limited number of operational cameras comes as figures for road fatalities for May, a crude form of calculation of road safety, look set to exceed those for the same month last year, before the penalty points system was introduced. In March 2002, 34 people were killed on the roads and in March 2003, 32 people were killed.
Latest Garda figures indicate that around 20,000 people have collected penalty points since the system was introduced six months ago.
Two new offences are due to be added to the list of penalty point offences in the next two months. From June 1st, driving without insurance will incur five points.
From July 1st, not wearing a seat belt will also be included in the system, with drivers liable to between two and four points.
It is expected that seven more offences will be added in the coming months, all of which must go to court. They are using a vehicle without a test certificate (five points on conviction); driving a vehicle before remedying a dangerous defect (three); driving a vehicle while unfit (three); careless driving (five); driving a dangerously defective vehicle (five); parking a vehicle in a dangerous position (five); and breach of duties on occurrence of accident (five).
Figures show that some 254 motorists have been caught speeding more than once, 245 have been caught twice, eight have been caught three times and one motorist has already been caught four times. Dublin tops the list with 4,867 motorists caught speeding.