At least 141 children have been killed on the Republic's roads in just seven years, a report revealed today.
Another 5,732 youngsters under the age of 14 suffered serious and minor injuries during the same time, according to he Road Safety Authority (RSA) study.
The research into road casualties between 1998 and 2005 shows that just under half (48.9 per cent) of children killed on the roads are pedestrians while more than a third (35 per cent) are passengers in cars.
However, there has been a 72 per cent reduction in the number of children under 14 years being killed on the roads over the same seven-year period.
Noel Brett, chief executive of the RSA, said the report, in conjunction with retailer Elverys Sports, held two important messages.
"The first is that over the period the numbers of children being killed on our roads has been dropping steadily," he said.
"The second, is that to continue this trend parents need to make sure children know the safe cross code, wear high visibility clothing whenever possible and ensure they are belted up or using the correct child car seats on every trip."
There was an even more marked reduction of 100 per cent in road deaths among children travelling on bicycles between 1998 and 2005.
There were no children killed while cycling in 2004 or 2005 although 472 were injured during the overall seven-year period.
The research also appears to suggest that it is more likely for children to be killed on country roads rather than in cities or towns.
More than a third (36 per cent) of the child deaths and more than a half (57.5 per cent) of injuries occurred inside built up or urban areas.
Some two thirds (64 per cent) of deaths and four out of ten (42.5 per cent) injuries happened in rural areas.
PA