The head of the Road Safety Authority has described a drop in the number of gardaí serving in the Traffic Corps as "a very worrying trend".

Liz McManus was commenting on the release of figures which show numbers have fallen by over 37 per cent since 2009.

“A highly visible presence of Gardaí on the road, plus the fear of enforcement, is the single biggest factor in changing people’s behaviour when using the road ... it is vital that the necessary human and technical resources are made available, to grow the number of Gardaí in the Traffic Corps,” she said.

The Traffic Corps had 12 hundred members in 2009 - but that has now fallen to approximately 750.

Ms McManus is calling for greater resources for the Corps - and says a highly visible presence of Gardaí on the road, plus the fear of enforcement, is the single biggest factor in changing driver behaviour.

“The RSA acknowledges that recruitment and training of new Gardaí has recommenced and would request that as a priority, road safety policing and the provision of new resources to the Traffic Corps be prioritised,” she said.