ROAD SAFETY will remain a priority for the Government as it seeks to improve on figures showing historically low numbers of road fatalities in 2008, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said yesterday.
The number of people killed on the roads in Northern Ireland last year was also the lowest on record.
Mr Dempsey described Wednesday night's fatal crash in Co Tipperary as a "terrible tragedy" and appealed for all road users to continue the effort to reduce the death rate.
Last year 276 people died on the Republic's roads - the lowest annual total since records began more than 40 years ago. It shows a fall of 62 on the 2007 figure.
"Road deaths are tragic and avoidable," Mr Dempsey said. "The 276 families who lost loved ones on Irish roads in 2008 know the heart break that road accidents bring."
He said that because of the hard work of the Road Safety Authority and the Garda Síochána in pushing the road safety message, many more families had been spared this tragic outcome.
"Road-users right around the country have stepped up to the challenge and are changing their driving behaviours every day. That means safer roads and fewer tragic deaths and serious accidents on our roads."
Meanwhile, the road death total in the North for 2008 was 105, the lowest annual figure recorded by the PSNI.The figure is down from the 2007 total of 113 and a figure of 126 the year before.
Road fatalities have been falling steadily in the North since 1999, when some 160 people were killed.