A Fianna Fáil bankbencher has proposed a novel approach to improving road safety in a bid to end the soaring number of deaths on Irish roads.
It involves motor insurance companies investing in better drivers by sponsoring transition year driving classes for students.
Mr Ivor Callely, TD for Dublin North Central, said Ireland will have between 350,000 and 400,000 first-time licence-holders on the roads within the next five years.
"This is a staggering number of new drivers, who all need training and practice to pass their driving tests."
Insurance companies would be making a valuable investment by sponsoring courses where future clients would receive a theoretical grounding and practical skills training, he said. Such schemes were already in operation in a number of other countries.
The insurance industry "stands to gain by our road users having a higher national safety record", he said.
"Inevitably, a lower accident rate would lead to more lives saved and an end to the carnage on our roads and cheaper insurance premiums."