One of the State's biggest motor insurance companies has promised to cut insurance premiums for commercial vehicles that improve their accident record through a new privately operated road-safety initiative.
Hibernian Insurance has pledged to lower the annual insurance bill for trucks and heavy goods vehicles that record reduced accident levels through the "How's My Driving?" fleet management safety programme.
The company will also pay 25 per cent of the annual subscription fee for customers who sign up.
Insurance for commercial vehicles has doubled in the last two years, and the move by Hibernian offers a real hope of a reduction in soaring premiums for companies.
The "How's My Driving?" initiative was introduced in Ireland last year by Mr Tom O'Sullivan.
For an annual subscription of €47.50 plus VAT, a company can have a "How's My Driving?" sign displayed on the rear of a vehicle. A private motorist can have a special licence plate displayed.
Each sticker and licence plate casing displays the logo, along with its Callsave number, 1850 35 45 35.
A member of the public who is unhappy with how a vehicle is driven can ring the number and give details of the incident.
Each vehicle sign also displays a unique four-digit ID code which can identify the vehicle's owner, make, model and colour.
A full incident report is forwarded immediately to the fleet manager of the company which owns the vehicle.
Mr O'Sullivan got the idea for "How's My Driving?" in Britain where he worked for three years. "I thought it was a brilliant idea and could not believe that nobody had started it here," he said.
Since May 2001 almost 700 goods vehicles have signed on to the programme, including the entire Pat the Baker truck fleet of 123 vehicles.
According to Mr O'Sullivan, the initiative has reduced accidents, saving companies money and possibly lives.
He said it had also led to reduced speeding and parking fines and had given companies a way of managing the occupational risks of drivers.
Mr Dick O'Driscoll, director of underwriting and distribution with Hibernian, told The Irish Times yesterday that the company would negotiate a lower premium for a fleet which showed an accident improvement at the end of a year.
"This is part of a wider integrated strategy to get people to be more responsible in relation to risk management," he added.