Newly-published accident statistics for 2000 again show that men, especially younger men, are more likely to die on the roads than women.
They also show that most fatalities occur in the hours associated with drink-driving.
However, the National Roads Authority's Road Accident Facts also shows that the number of pedestrians and motorcyclists killed last year was the lowest in 40 years. Some 85 pedestrians died on the roads last year, compared to 92 in 1999. Fifty four (63.5 per cent) of those were men.
Pedestrian deaths accounted for 20 per cent of the 415 fatalities in 2000, compared to 41 per cent in 1970.
Car-users accounted for 63 per cent of fatalities.
Older pedestrians were also more likely to die in accidents: 10 of the 54 men who died were over 65 and 12 of the 30 women who died were in the same age bracket. Eight of the 10 cyclists killed last year were male.
The total number of males killed last year was 302, compared to 104 females.
Young male drivers were also in a high-risk category: of the 55 people in the 18-24 age group who died in road accidents, 50 were male. The figures, based on Garda information, attribute 37 per cent of all fatal, two-vehicle accidents to one car travelling on to the wrong side of the road. Some 24 per cent of fatal two-vehicle collisions involved speeding.
The driver was identified as a contributory cause in 82 per cent of accidents causing injury or death. The vehicle was a cause of the accident in just 1 per cent of cases.
A third (33 per cent) of all fatal road accidents involved only one vehicle, a drop of three percentage points on 1999. Some 68 per cent of fatal single vehicle accidents occurred between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and 61 per cent occurred either on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
A total of 121 (29 per cent) of the 415 who died were killed between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., the hours most strongly associated with drink-driving, according to the NRA. On a countywide basis, Carlow had the highest accident rate at three per 1,000 of the population.
More people were killed or injured in accidents in Dublin than in any other county. A total of 69 of the 415 deaths occurred in Dublin. Cork had the next-highest number of deaths (34), followed by Limerick (30), Galway (22) and Meath (20). Cavan had the lowest number of road deaths (three), followed by Leitrim (four).
The cost of reported road accidents last year is estimated at around £600 million.