The employers' group IBEC has called on the Government to honour its commitment to establish a dedicated traffic corps following the latest spate of deaths on the road.
IBEC transport director Mr Reg McCabe rejected claims that an independent corps would cause legal difficulties for the Garda, as had been claimed by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell.
Independent traffic and security police operated at many airports and ports, and "this does not seem to cause operational difficulties or overlaps with the Garda", said Mr McCabe.
He added that IBEC was "convinced" an independent corps could be funded through parking and traffic-related charges without recourse to the Exchequer.
Mr McDowell had claimed earlier this year that "legal difficulties" surrounding the use of civilians to prosecute traffic offences had caused the Government to rethink its pledge to create a dedicated traffic corps.
The Minister has since signalled that a new traffic policing body would be created within the Garda, possibly on a pilot basis in Dublin.
Speaking on RTÉ radio yesterday, the Minister refused to be drawn on the proposals that he planned to bring before Cabinet.
Meanwhile, opposition parties claimed Government inaction had contributed to the recent road deaths.
Labour's transport spokeswoman Ms Róisín Shortall listed a variety of failures, from delays in introducing legislation for speed cameras to inaction on reducing the State's 350,000 provisional licence holders.
"Séamus Brennan's obsession with breaking up the State's airports has come at the cost of road safety after the Government opted to rush through the Aer Rianta Bill rather than implement the Road Traffic Bill before the summer recess," she said.
Fine Gael's transport spokesman Mr Denis Naughten described as unworkable a new proposal by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, to increase Garda weekend cover.
"The Minister says he has asked the Garda Síochána to increase the number of gardaí on road duty at the weekends, but there simply aren't the resources to do this".
Calls for reform of the State's traffic management regime coincide with the appointment later this month of a new head of the Garda National Traffic Bureau. Supt John Farrelly, currently of the Garda Press Office, is to be promoted to chief superintendent before taking up the traffic post on September 27th.
He will replace Chief Supt Denis Fitzpatrick, who is taking early retirement.