IRELAND is set to miss out on the EU target of cutting road deaths by 50% by 2010, despite a major reduction in fatalities on Irish roads last year.

A FUNDAMENTAL culture shift in attitudes among Irish drivers is paying off, with the country showing the biggest drop in road deaths in the EU last year.

MOTORISTS have been warned against complacency in their attitude to speeding and drink-driving after new figures show that Ireland has entered the top 10 best performing EU countries in terms of road safety for the first time.