As gardaí again appealed to motorists to slow down and take extra care, a cycling group has urged the authorities to adopt the "radical new approach" of actually enforcing traffic laws.
The Irish Cycling Campaign (ICC) made the suggestion as road deaths approached the highest annual figure for three years. "We know this would be a dramatic departure from the National Safety Council's current policy of staging endless PR stunts backed up by an invisible police force," said ICC spokesman Mr David Maher.
"God knows the authorities have tried everything else - how about trying to actually enforce the law?"
Mr Maher said the number of speeding tickets issued annually has dropped by 80 per cent since the introduction of penalty points, saying this was "great for saving on paperwork, but tragic in terms of lives lost".
He added: "The continuing slaughter on our roads is a direct result of a lack of political and policing will . . . In Sweden, a motorist can expect to pass a speed check on one in every six trips made, while in Ireland the figure is 4,000 to one".
Mr Maher said it was "a scandal that the National Safety Council (NSC) seems content to issue endless appeals while enforcement levels in Ireland are so out of step with international standards".
The cyclists are also calling for a policy to restrict heavy goods vehicles from residential areas and the appointment of pedestrian and cyclist representatives to the board of the NSC.
Although the number of cyclists killed - 11 so far this year - is low by international standards, Mr Maher said this reflected the huge reduction in the numbers of people using bicycles, rather than improved safety.
He also condemned as "pathetic" last week's suggestions by the NSC that lorry drivers should fit extended mirrors to the left-hand sides of cabs to eradicate blind spots.