The Junior Transport Minister has called on the public to begin thinking of the road as a lethal space.
Brendan Griffin was speaking after four more people died on the road in less than 24 hours.
It brings the death toll on Irish roads to 67 for the year – nine more than this time last year.
Last week on National Slow Down Day we asked all drivers to think about the consequences of their speed - but this is not a single day campaign. We continue to ask you to be aware of your speed each and every time you sit behind the wheel of your vehicle. https://t.co/sWzAqnOn44
— RSA Ireland (@RSAIreland) May 31, 2019
Junior Minister Griffin said legislation can only do so much to prevent tragedy on the roads.
“Once you get out on a public roadway, it is a very lethal space and everybody has to exercise extreme caution,” he said.
“We can have loads of legislation; we can have all the safety measures that we can imagine – but ultimately everybody has to be part of a collective effort.”
The three women in their 70s who died in the two-car crash near Loughill in County Limerick last night have been named locally.
Meanwhile, Gardaí are continuing to appeal for witnesses to the hit-and-run that killed a man in his 20s just after midnight last night.
Gardaí said the man was out walking when he was struck by what is believed to have been a truck on the Swords road in Dublin.
The truck is described as white in colour and was not carrying a trailer at the time.
Additional reporting from Kacey O'Riordan at the Mansion House in Dublin
