Supervised racing tracks could be provided for boy racers to take them off our roads, an Oireachtas Committee heard today.
The Society of the Irish Motoring Industry (SIMI) said that Sweden had developed the facilities in a bid to cut its level of road fatalities.
Cyril McHugh, SIMI
SIMI chief executive Cyril McHugh told the Enterprise & Small Business Committee: "Sweden provided facilities for boy racers to race in supervised atmosphere.
"They will be able to come in and show off all their extras and gimmicks in a controlled atmosphere.
"It is be something that is worth looking at because it gives them an outlet."
Committee member Ruairí Quinn complained about boy racers on roads with dragon stripes and crazy exhaust pipes.
Mr McHugh was speaking during a discussion on reform of the insurance market with FBD Insurance, the Financial Regulator and Ibec.
Mr McHugh said the SIMI deplored the unacceptable rate of road accidents in Ireland but called for more focus on the three Es - Education, Engineering and Enforcement. He said car manufacturers had invested heavily in equipment and training to ensure that vehicles are as safe as possible.
But he pointed out that mechanical factors were only responsible for 0.2 per cent of all road collisions after driver error (88 per cent), pedestrian error (8 per cent) and road conditions (1.8 per cent).
He warned that the benefits of the 1995 Scrappage Scheme, which halved the average age of cars from 12 years to six, was now being reversed. "We now find that this age profile is increasing again as this year we will import about 70,000 used cars with an average age of over seven years," he told the committee.
PA