There have been an average of 28 deaths on Irish roads each month so far this this year.
The Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Dick Roche, revealed the figures while addressing the Seanad on road safety policy.
Mr Roche claimed that during the lifetime of the new Road Safety Strategy, 2007-2012, at least 410 lives will be saved.
He also said that Ireland would move towards becoming one of the best practice countries in the EU.
There has been a 20% drop in deaths on Irish roads since the launch of the Government's first road safety strategy in 1998, according to the minister.
This has been achieved despite a 52% increase in the number of vehicles on the roads.
So far this year 285 people have been killed on Irish roads and this is a reduction of 33 compared to the same date last year, he said.
He added that the criticism following the announcement of the new measures relating to learner drivers was disappointing considering a concerted and determined effort to resolve the problem of having over 400,000 provisional licence holders on the roads was long overdue.
