Progress being made, says road safety chief

GOVERNMENT road safety chief Noel Brett has insisted progress is being made in the war on the country’s appalling road deaths record.

Gardaí were issuing rogue drivers with more penalty points than ever before while ministers were tackling the problem of the 418,000 drivers on provisional licences.

A new road traffic act would give gardaí extra powers while urgent action was being taken to slash lists of drivers waiting to take their test.