The Government has urged young drivers not to drink or speed and to wear seatbelts in a bid to avoid a spate of accidents over the Bank Holiday weekend.
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Mr Bo0bby Molloy
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Eight people died during the same three days last year on the Republic's roads, and 160 people have been killed already this year.
The Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Bobby Molloy, said at the launch of the road safety campaign last night: "Young people, and young drivers in particular, are disproportionately involved in road accidents.
"We know that young people tend to under-estimate driving risks and over-estimate their driving abilities.
"Novice drivers do not have the same level of driving skills, which take time to develop, as more experienced drivers."
Nearly one in four of road accident victims in 1999 was aged between 18 and 24 and three in four of those killed were male, according to statistics published by the National Roads Authority.
"We need the co-operation of everyone, motorists and pedestrians, young and old, to make this a safe Bank Holiday weekend," Mr Molloy said.
Mr Molloy said there had been a 12 per cent drop in road deaths between 1997 and 2000, while the government target was to reduce such fatalities by 20 per cent by the end of 2002.
There were 415 road deaths in the State in 2000.