The Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority has said further initiatives are needed in 2007 if the decline in road deaths seen last year is to continue.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Noel Brett said that unprecedented public awareness and rigorous garda enforcement in 2006 had helped to contribute to the second lowest number of deaths on the country's roads in 40 years.
He also explained the necessity of replacing the system of provisional licences with learner permits.
Mr Brett said that permission to drive should be a privilege, not a right, and that Ireland needed to be up there with the rest of Europe in the level of training needed before getting a licence.
Mr Brett said that there would be action on a number of fronts in 2007, including new speed cameras and initiatives targeting young, inexperienced drivers.
367 people died on Ireland's roads in 2006, which was 29 fewer than in 2005.
Half of all those killed in 2006 were under 30. One third of them were in their 20s, and more than 70% were men.
