A new analysis of road deaths has concluded that if the reduction in fatalities following the introduction of penalty points had been maintained, 255 fewer people would have been killed on Irish roads.
The report from the Society of Actuaries in Ireland also found that if Ireland had been able to achieve UK safety levels, the number of lives saved would have been 560.
The analysis notes there was a significant reduction in road accident fatalities here following the introduction of penalty points in November 2002.
However, the death rate subsequently increased just six months later.
The report found that since 2003, both the absolute number of fatalities and the number of deaths per car have risen.
In that year, the number of deaths per car in Ireland was 70% higher than in the UK.
That is one life which could have been saved every two days since May 2003.
Yesterday, an EU survey found Ireland lies seventh from bottom of all European countries in cutting deaths over the past five years.
