Fine Gael has blamed Government inaction on road safety for an increase in the cost of car insurance.
Party spokesman on Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mr Denis Naughten said today the car insurance industry was able to raise its prices by up to 15 per cent because the Government had failed to implement its road safety strategy.
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"The motor insurance industry is claiming that premia must be increased due to the increasing number of road accidents and the knock on claims associated with them", said Mr Naughten.
"The Government strategy, which aims to reduce the fatal accident rate by 20 per cent before the end of 2002, is up to two years behind schedule in implementing measures to meet this target," he added.
Figures released this week showed road crash deaths were up by one last year to 414, indicating a halt in the downward trend in figures in recent years.
Criticising the figures Mr Eddie Shaw of the National Safety Council said more lives would have been saved if delays had not taken place in the implementation of the five-year safety strategy.
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The Government rejects the criticism, saying it is committed to implementing all aspects of the road safety strategy and that there had been an overall decrease in the number of road deaths since the strategy was put in place in 1998.
