The minister for the Environment and Local Government has defended the Government's record on tackling road fatalities, claiming "real and worthwhile" gains have been made.
Mr Dempsey said the interim targets contained in the Government's Strategy for Road Safety 1998-2002 had been fully met.
Road fatalities per million inhabitants had been reduced to 112, four below the interim target figure, and 268 accident reduction schemes had been completed, 28 more than scheduled, he said.
He was speaking at the publication yesterday of the Road Traffic Bill 2001 which provides for a penalty-points system and a review of maximum penalties for driving offences, among other measures.
Mr Dempsey noted that fatalities dropped by 13 per cent between 1997 and 1999, from 472 to 413. Last year, however, they crept up to 415. This year, to date, there have been 93 road deaths, an identical figure to that for the same period in 2000.
Under the legislation, the maximum fine on conviction for an offence such as speeding rises from £150 to £631.
For dangerous driving causing death it rises from £3,000 to £11,848.
The Bill also provides a framework for implementing the European Convention on Driving Disqualifications, which permits member-states to impose driving bans for offences committed elsewhere in the EU.
It also gives the Minister powers to contract out functions and services under the Road Traffic Acts as well as to introduce road traffic legislation for environmental reasons.
In addition, it transfers control of taxi ranks and bus stops from the Garda Commissioner to local authorities.
Significantly, the Bill allows the extension of the use of electronic equipment, including cameras, for establishing proof of offences such as dangerous overtaking and failure to obey road signs.
At present, such equipment can only be used in speeding cases.
The Minister of State, Mr Bobby Molloy, said the Bill sought to send out the message that "driving on public roads is not just a social freedom but a social responsibility".
While major breaches of safe driving practice would continue to attract the "full rigours" of court penalties and disqualifications, he said, for the first time "run-of-the-mill carelessness or lack of consideration in relation to safe driving will also have the potential to result in driving disqualification".
Reacting to criticism of the delay in introducing the legislation, due to have been in place last year, Mr Molloy said it had to be examined "very carefully" first by the Attorney General's office to address questions of constitutionality.
The computerisation of the national driver file - which was necessary for the implementation of the penalty points system - had also fallen behind schedule, he said. However, it was now being "urgently advanced" and was expected to be in place by the end of this year.
On other possible road safety initiatives, Mr Molloy said the increase in provisional licence holders on the roads was "very unsatisfactory" and measures to address the problem were being considered.
Asked why the Government had not introduced random breath testing, Mr Molloy said it was decided to follow the practice in the UK and "it was felt on balance this was as far as we should go at this stage".
