Lorry and other commercial vehicle drivers will have to display a roadworthiness disc on their windscreens by law from next year.
The measure was included as part of a package of reforms regarding roadworthiness testing for commercial vehicles announced by the Minister of State for Transport, Mr McDaid, yesterday.
The Minister said he intended to make compulsory the display of a roadworthiness disc on the windscreen to assist enforcement.
Improvements in the roadworthiness scheme include the restructuring of weight limits; more frequent road worthiness testing for Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs); revisions in fee scales; improved standards for premises and test equipment; and the introduction of a retest.
Mr McDaid said: "The fact that the reforms centre on roadworthiness will lead to more safety. I want to stress that drivers should have documentation on windscreens, and the Garda will be able to see immediately that they are up to scratch."
Yesterday, Mr Brian Farrell, of the National Safety Council, said what did stand out in the reforms and what they particularly welcomed was the requirement to display a roadworthiness disc.
"This will enable the Garda to see at a glance that a vehicles has passed its roadworthiness test, and will be an aid to enforcement purposes. This in turn will improve road safety."
Mr Jimmy Quinn, of the Road Haulage Association, said they would have to look at the reforms in detail to see if there were any cost implications. "But we welcome anything that leads to an increase in road safety."
He would have no objection to the roadworthiness disc being displayed. "We are all for that and it is something we've been looking for. We welcome it."
Statistics issued by the National Safety Council show that between 1996 and 2001, 19 per cent of road fatalities involved a goods vehicle.
In 2001 the number of fatalities involving a goods vehicle was 20 per cent of road fatalities.