A teenage pedestrian has died after he was hit by a car in Kilkenny yesterday evening.
The 17-year-old boy was knocked down on the R697 Kells Road at Bamford Cross. He was taken to St Luke's Hospital where he died later of his injuries.
Nearly 40 per cent of those who have been killed on the roads so far this year have been pedestrians, the latest Garda figures reveal.
The latest death brings the number of pedestrians killed in 2007 to 14, among a total death toll of 33 to date.
The figure has been described as "phenomenal" by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen, while the Fine Gael chairman Tom Hayes has called for the Government to make visibility arm bands and belts freely available to pedestrians.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) said pedestrian deaths were now getting greater exposure because of a sharp decline in the number of motorists being killed following the introduction of random breath-testing.
RSA spokesman Brian Farrell said: "What we are seeing is the tide going out, exposing the rocks beneath. These levels of deaths have always been there, but because so many motorists were being killed, we didn't hear as much about them.
"The same thing happened when penalty points came in, and we had a similar fall off in motorists' deaths and that exposed the number of motorcyclists being killed."
Of the pedestrians who have died this year, five have been over the age of 70.
A man in his 70s was killed when he was hit by a car while crossing the road in Trinity Street, Drogheda, yesterday morning.
On Monday evening at about 7.30pm, 80-year-old James Garvey was struck by a car while crossing the road on the N17 near Kilkelly in Co Mayo. Mr Garvey was a noted local historian and genealogist.
Gardaí have advised pedestrians to wear bright, reflective clothing, walk facing oncoming traffic and use footpaths, pedestrian and designated crossings where available.
They have also said even small increases in motorists' speed can have a deadly effect.
While a pedestrian being hit by a car travelling at 30km/h has a 90 per cent chance of survival, only half of all pedestrians will survive if hit at 50km/h, and 10 per cent at 60km/h.