The first road fatalities of 2006 have occurred in Cork, Kerry and Derry.
John Granville (46), from Liam Mac Gearailt Place, Fermoy, Co Cork, was killed early yesterday when the car he was driving was in a head-on collision with a lorry on the Dublin-Cork road.
There were no passengers in the car, which crashed on the N8 at Curraghprevin, between Rathcormac and Watergrass Hill, at about 7.10am. The lorry-driver was uninjured.
Traffic diversions were put in place for several hours yesterday while emergency crew worked at the scene.
Gardaí at Fermoy have appealed for witnesses to contact them on 025-82100.
Mr Granville was travelling from his home in Fermoy towards Cork city when the crash occurred.
Also yesterday, a 33-year-old man died in hospital of injuries he received in a crash in Co Kerry on Monday.
The man was a passenger in a car which crashed into a wall shortly after 11pm at Liscahane, Ardfert Road. He was brought to Kerry General Hospital for emergency treatment but died some hours later.
The other three occupants of the car - one male and two female - were also taken to the hospital. One of them was discharged yesterday, while the other two were said to be in stable condition.
A Co Derry man became the first person to die this year on the roads in Northern Ireland.
Paul Gillen (19), Corrick Road, Dungiven, was killed close to his home in a three-car collision late on Monday night. He was driving one of the three vehicles. Four others were injured, though not seriously. The main Derry-Dungiven road was closed for several hours after the incident.
The latest deaths come amid renewed criticism of the Government's record in promoting road safety.
Last year 399 people died on the State's roads, making it the worst year for road safety since 2001.