Motorists face penalty points for a further 16 offences from next year, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has confirmed.
Penalty points will apply for issues such as faulty vehicle lighting, failure to wear crash helmets on motorcycles, and for failure by drivers to ensure they have a proper view from a vehicle windscreen.
Motorists will also be penalised for placing babies in rear-facing car seats next to airbags. Those who overload trailers will also face points on their driving licence.
Mr Varadkar expects the new points to be activated by the end of next year.
The Minister today said 2011 would be a good year for road safety, with fewer than 200 people having lost their lives. This would be the lowest since records began, he said.
Mr Varadkar said this would also make Ireland one of the three safest countries in Europe in terms of road safety.
With regard to the new penalty points, Mr Varadkar said they were already on the statute books but had not yet been enacted.
He said they were designed to change driver behaviour, and not as a revenue-raising measure. Mr Varadkar said the Go Safe speed-camera vans had been very successful in reducing speeding, and that in fact the State "loses money" on them.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Varadkar conceded that the number of gardaí in the Traffic Corps had been reduced. But he said it was not only members of the Traffic Corps who could enforce driving offences, as all gardaí could do so.
"There's no point in having laws at all if they are not enforced," he said.
The announcement follows the recent reduction in the alcohol limits for motorists.
Separately, the Road Safety Authority urged motorists to take extra care as they ring in the New Year.
It asked all road users, including pedestrians, to take personal responsibility after eight deaths in just seven
days over Christmas.
RSA chief executive Noel Brett appealed to all drivers who are planning on celebrating the New Year not to get behind the wheel of a car while impaired through either drink, drugs or fatigue.
“Watch out for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, and expect the unexpected,” he said.
He also urged those out socialising “not to take a lift from a driver who has consumed alcohol or drugs”.
A total of 188 people have been killed on Irish roads so far this year, including 45 pedestrians.
Pedestrians and cyclists are reminded to wear reflective clothing and to never walk on motorways or dual carriageways.
“If you are going out for a drink, leave the keys at home,” Mr Brett continued.
“Get a taxi, minibus, public transport or take turns to designate a driver. We want to make sure that you get home safely. And don’t forget that time is the only way to get alcohol out of your system, so don’t assume you are safe to drive the morning after a night out."
Additional reporting: PA