A scheme which aims to increase road safety by urging members of the publicto report aggressive or careless driving to gardaí is likely to be introduced throughout the State within weeks.
A pilot scheme, known as Traffic Watch, in which people can ring a special 24-hour hotline to report incidences of driving which causes concern, has proved so successful in the south-east region that it will be extended to every area.
Under the scheme, people can phone the low-cost line with complaints about a driver ranging from drink-driving, speeding, overtaking, to throwing litter from the vehicle.
Since the introduction of the pilot scheme in counties Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Wicklow and Tipperary nearly two years ago, the special line has received in excess of 8,000 calls which resulted in over 500 cautions and 30 prosecutions.
A Garda spokesman said yesterday that the Garda Traffic Bureau would be launching the scheme nationwide. A date had not yet been set but it was likely it would be in the next few weeks.
He said, however, that callers from all over the country could phone the existing special line if they had a complaint and it would be dealt with. The phone line is low-cost 1890 205 805.
Under the pilot scheme, which is based at Thomastown in Co Kilkenny, successful prosecutions have involved reckless driving and littering. The majority of calls related to speeding, overtaking and driving too close. There were also reports of drink-driving which led to arrests.
Aggressive behaviour is defined by gardaí as any deliberate activity likely to increase the risk of a collision on the road.
Insp Michael Millea, Garda regional traffic co-ordinator based in Kilkenny, said that since the scheme started they had received 8,000 calls with complaints about different forms of aggressiveness on the roads.
"It was set up to target dangerous and aggressive driving and to give people an outlet to have their concerns dealt with," he said.
Speaking on RTÉ radio, Insp Millea said when they received a call they passed it on to the local superintendent who would then appoint a garda to investigate the matter.
When it was passed on to the local superintendent it was verified as to whether it was a genuine complaint and then gardaí talked to the alleged offender. He said they had their share of mischievous calls but they did not talk to the alleged offender until they had verified the complaint.
"We are very happy with the scheme. In the south-east we had the lowest number of road fatalities during last year which was the first full year the scheme was in operation," he said.
In the region, there were 52 fatalities. While that was 52 too many, it was the lowest figure compared to, for instance, the high of 81 a few years ago, he said.
When the scheme is introduced throughout the State, regional Traffic Watch centres are expected to be established in Birr, Mallow, Tuam, Carrick-on-Shannon and Harcourt Square in Dublin.