Preparations for a busy long weekend on the roads and in the air are under way, with Gardaí beginning a major road safety operation and Dublin airport advising travellers to arrive early for their flights.
On average more than four people have been killed during the last six May Bank Holiday weekends, with eight people losing their lives in 2003.
With the number of fatalities this year nearly on a par with 2000, there are fears of another tragic weekend on the State's roads.
In the first four months of 2000 there were 138 people killed on the roads. To date there have been 134 fatalities in 2006. That figure is significantly bigger than for the same periods in the three previous years.
Last year there was 116 people killed up to and including the April 28th, while in 2003 there were 97 fatalities before May 1st.
The death toll during the recent Easter bank holiday weekend was the highest for more than five years, despite the introduction of further penalty point offences.
The head of the Garda Traffic Corps, Assistant Commissioner Eddie Rock, is set to announce details of the road safety campaign later today. Officers are expected to pay particular attention to drink driving.
The Dublin Airport Authority expects around 310,000 passengers to travel on over 2,000 flights at the weekend.
Airport traffic increases markedly over the May weekend, with 125 flights chartered to popular destinations such as Spain, Turkey and the Canary Islands.
Passengers are advised to arrive no more than 90 minutes before their flight is due to depart. Those travelling by air are also asked to remove all sharp objects from their hand luggage.
