Road traffic deaths are headed for record numbers this month, with 17 fatalities so far, making December one of the most dangerous months on Irish roads this year.
Only July had more road deaths, when 20 people died in traffic collisions.
This month is also set to be among Decembers with the highest number of fatalities in the last few years.
December 2014 and December 2013 both had 17 road deaths, according to Road Safety Authority data, while the figure was 12 for 2012 and 10 each for 2011 and 2010.
Overall, road deaths have reduced this year, down from 193 in 2014 to 161, up to Sunday night.
Since Christmas Eve, seven people have died on Irish roads, including two people in Northern Ireland.
A 38-year-old man, named locally as Paddy Buckley, was killed on Sunday in Co Offaly.
The father-of-six, a musician and worker at Steripack, Clara, had been playing in Hiney’s Pub in Ferbane on Saturday night.
He was returning home when his car struck a bridge and overturned in a flooded area adjacent to the Grand Canal in Pollagh, gardaí have said.
The car was discovered on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Buckley was taken to the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore for a postmortem.
Gardaí have appealed for information from anyone who may have seen the car from midnight onwards.
An 18-year-old was killed on St Stephen’s Day in Co Cavan.
Three-vehicle collision
Fergal O’ Reilly from Clonoose in Ballyheelan, died after a three-vehicle collision on Saturday at 7.30am.
The car he was driving collided with a truck and another car at Kilcogy, on the N55 Cavan to Granard road.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was removed to Cavan General Hospital. No one else was injured.
Also on St Stephen’s Day, a woman in her 20s died in a single vehicle crash in Co Wexford. Judy Waters, originally from Ballywilliam, but living in Campile, was killed at Camblin, New Ross, shortly before 5pm when the car she was driving struck a wall.
She was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was removed to University Hospital Waterford.
And in Antrim on St Stephen’s Night, a seven-year-old boy died following a collision involving three cars at Newtownabbey.
The crash happened on the Old Carrick Road, at about 6.30pm.
The boy, named locally as Jackson Turner, was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and died there several hours later.
Seven others were injured, including a four-year-old girl.
The driver of the car in which the boy was travelling remains in hospital with serious injuries, according to the PSNI.
Appeal for witnesses
Police in Newtownabbey said they are keen to hear from anyone who saw the collision, which involved two Nissan cars and a Citroen.
On Christmas Day, in Dublin, a 16-year-old lost his life following an incident in Ballyfermot.
Warren Kenny died after the scrambler motorbike he was riding collided with another scrambler bike at about 8am.
He was taken by ambulance to St James’s Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The boy was said to be a gifted athlete.
The second motorcyclist, a man in his early 20s, was also taken to hospital. His injuries were not life threatening.
Also on Christmas Day, a pedestrian was killed in Co Carlow.
The 29-year-old man died when he was struck by a car on the R448 at Gorteengrone, shortly before 7.30pm.
His body was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital for a postmortem.
The driver of the car was uninjured. Gardaí have appealed for witnesses.
On Christmas Eve, a pedestrian died after being hit by a car in Belfast.
A PSNI spokesman said Jim Maxwell (71), from the west of the city, lost his life following the collision on the Donegall Road just before 7.30pm.
