Two people have died in separate collisions in Dublin and Kildare over the weekend, taking the total number of deaths on Irish roads to 10 since the beginning of the year.
A male pedestrian died in Dublin after being hit by a car at around 4 a.m. on Sunday. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and no other injuries were reported.
The incident took place on a stretch of road between Junction 4 and 5 of the M1 motorway near Lusk in North County Dublin. The road has reopened after being sealed off for a forensic investigation.
Gardaí have urged anyone with information of dash-cam footage to come forward.
In Kildare, a man was killed in a single-vehicle collision in Kilcullen at around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday.
The collision took place on the R448 road at Halverstown and the man, who was driving an SUV, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man's body has been taken to Naas General Hospital for a post-mortem.
Anyone with any information or dash cam footage is asked to contact Naas Garda Station on 045 884 300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
Minister for Environment, Climate, and Communications Eamon Ryan told RTÉ's This Week that a number of measures will be implemented throughout the year to improve road safety in Ireland.
Ryan said the Government will be reducing default speed limits in order to reduce road fatalities.
Ryan added that An Garda Síochána needed to increase enforcement on Irish roads but said the Government would be installing more speed cameras, especially in particularly dangerous areas.
"That'll help the gardaí to do their job without always having to have a member of the force there in every place," Ryan told RTÉ.
Jack Chambers, the Minister of State with Responsibility for Road Safety, stated that a "culture of recklessness" has developed on Irish roads.
Chambers described the deaths of 10 people on Irish roads since January 1 as the worst possible start to 2024, adding that a significant number of motorists are ignoring the need to slow down.
Chambers also said a number of motorists continue to drive while intoxicated.
He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that he will be fast-tracking legislation over the next three months to help reduce road fatalities.
The new legislation will allow local authorities to review current speed limits, Chambers told Morning Ireland.
He added that motorists who commit multiple offenses at the same time will now face two sets of penalty points as opposed to the current system, which imposes one set of penalty points.
The legislation will also introduce mandatory drug testing at the scene of all road traffic accidents.
Chambers noted that the number of Garda roads policing personnel has decreased by 47 compared to the same time last year but said the issue is a matter for the Garda Commissioner.
"I've been very clear to him and to his team on the need to ensure that there's a road policing dividend from the increased recruitment that we’re seeing in 2024," Chambers said.
Several road safety groups have expressed concern about the number of road fatalities in Ireland since the beginning of the year.
Susan Gray of the PARC Road Safety Group said the figures were "extremely worrying" and called on the Government to "go back to the drawing board" to reduce road fatalities.
Leo Lieghio, the vice president of the Irish Road Victims Association, also described the figures as "very worrying".
"Absolutely, definitely going in the wrong direction. It's a very worrying figure," he told RTÉ News.
The Road Safety Authority recently announced that 184 people were killed on Irish roads in 2023, a jump of 19% compared to 2022.
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