Gardaí have said they will be on the lookout for dangerous driver behaviour during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend with a visible enforcement presence throughout the country.
It comes as the latest figures show that 54 people lost their lives on Irish roads this year.
It is the highest number of road deaths recorded in the first quarter of the year over the past decade.
Assistant Garda Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement Paula Hillman appealed to motorists to slow down and to look out for one another.
Ms Hillman said: “If everyone slows down, lower the speed on the road and think of the weather conditions as well, it’s cold, it’s wet, and drive within what you see, not just the speed limits but the weather conditions you are experiencing.”
She said gardaí will be “out there tackling and enforcing those offences that we know cause that death and serious injuries on the roads”.
Launching their bank holiday appeal, the Road Safety Authority is also calling on drivers to give space to cyclists when overtaking and to slow down while doing so.
In 2023, nine cyclists were killed and 216 were seriously injured.
Between 2018 and 2022, over 1,300 cyclists were seriously injured on Irish roads.
The vast majority were men and most serious injuries occurred on urban roads
Half of those incidents were recorded in Dublin.
Additional reporting Eileen Magnier
