Some 101,593 people had received on-the-spot fines for speeding by the end of May this year compared with just over 175,000 for the whole of last year.
During the same period, 4,088 people were arrested for drink driving offences, up nearly 500 on the same period last year and 25,858 fined for not wearing seat belts, up 858 on the last six months of 1999.
Announcing the figures yesterday, the Minister of State for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Bobby Molloy, said speeding, drink driving and not wearing safety belts were the three primary causes of serious injury and death on Irish roads and were being targeted as the priority of the Road Safety Strategy 1998-2002.
