Following the May bank holiday weekend in which six people lost their lives on Irish roads, the National Safety Council has confirmed that it is to launch a major summer-long campaign in close association with the Garda National Traffic Bureau.
The three-month road safety campaign, which will primarily target drink drivers, will be launched to coincide with Ireland's next bank holiday weekend at the start of June.
Traditionally it is the summer months of June, July and August that see an increase in the monthly tally of those killed on the roads. Although this weekend saw six people killed between Friday morning and Monday evening, the total number of people who have died so far on Irish roads in 2005 is the same as during the same period last year.
Despite there being no reduction in the number killed over the weekend there was also no rise, and this is partly down to a well-publicised Garda crackdown, which concentrated on speeding on national routes and drink driving.
Figures on the numbers arrested for drink driving or those detected for speeding over the weekend are not yet available.
Brian Farrell, spokesman for the National safety Council, explains that there is little that can be drawn from the weekend's figures. However, the year-to-date figures, which stand at 125 road deaths, do provide some pointers. "It is too early to draw any conclusions, but if we look at March and April of this year, we see that the figures are actually below average," notes Farrell.
Indeed, April's comparatively low monthly road death toll brought Ireland's figures for last month in line with those of countries such as Britain, which are regarded as the world's best. It is hoped that, with the introduction of the new enforcement campaign at the start of the summer, road deaths in Ireland could come in at under 300 for the first time - something that has never been achieved, despite numerous campaigns.
Bank holiday weekends traditionally mark a rise in the road death toll. Although drink driving and speeding are cited as the main causes of accidents, driver fatigue is also a major factor. To combat this, the National Safety Council has run several campaigns in which drivers have been urged to take a break and a drink containing caffeine.
These campaigns have been sponsored by Lyons Tea and Statoil, but the council has confirmed that it is now considering an approach from the makers of the controversial "energy drink" Red Bull to sponsor this year's campaign.
International research confirms that driver fatigue is a contributory factor (rather than the sole cause) of up to one-in-five fatal accidents. "This is a problem, especially for young male drivers who tend to fight tiredness," explains Farrell.
But if the approach by Red Bull is accepted and the drink is given out to motorists, the council could come under criticism from several quarters that already express health concerns about the drink. Red Bull is designed to give an energy boost, primarily through its high caffeine content - 80 milligrams in a 250ml can - which is double that of a larger can of Coca Cola.
But it is this high caffeine and how it reacts to the drink's other active ingredients such as glucuronolactone and taurine as well as almost five teaspoons of sugar, that have led to it already being banned in France, Norway and Denmark.
French studies had found that animals given the drink exhibited bizarre behaviour including anxiety, irritability and a high sensitivity to noise and self-mutilation. Sweden and Iceland are now also considering banning the drink.
"We are looking at a number of options in terms of a sponsor," says Farrell. "We were approached by Red Bull and are considering it, but no decision has been taken."