President McAleese has launched a new website which allows users to access the Rules of the Road in several languages.
Translations of the Rules of the Road are available in English, Irish, Russian, Chinese Mandarin and Polish.
Speaking this morning at the launch of the website at Farmleigh in Dublin, Ms McAleese said: "Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority are doing great work to make our roads a safer place but of course every single road user has one hundred per cent personal responsibility for his or her actions. "
"Part of that responsibility involves being educated about road use and in particular about road safety. In order to educate ourselves fully we need to be able to easily access the right information."
"The changing demographics of our country are evident in the translations of the Rules not just into Plain English, but into Plain Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Polish too. Many of our road users come from countries which drive on the other side of the road and which have different signage and symbols. "
"For them, this new service is an essential tool in helping them to understand their new homeland and helping to keep them safe from harm on unfamiliar roads and road systems," she added.
This morning's event was attended by chief executive of the Road Safety Authority Noel Brett and the Ambassadors of Russia, Poland and China.