A total of 195 people were killed and seriously injured on Irish roads over the last 10 years during the August Bank holiday period.
This is in spite of the fatality rate decreasing by half since 2005 according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
Speaking at the launch of a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of driver fatigue, chief executive of the RSA Noel Brett said one in five deaths on the road was caused by driver fatigue.
"One in five deaths on roads are caused by driver fatigue. We know from research that driving while fatigued is as dangerous as driving at the drunk-driving limit," he said.
Mr Brett said people should contact the Garda Siochana if they see erratic driving on the roads. He also said the number of pedestrian deaths was up on this time last year, and noted that some of these incidents occurred on motorways.
Referring to proposed ban on smoking in cars, Mr Brett said people "fiddling with lighters" while driving was of concern to the RSA from a safety standpoint. He said he would support any move that would reduce the risk to drivers and their passengers.
Chief Superintendent Gabriel McIntyre said that motorcyclists are at particular risk.
"We have 13 motorcyclists killed this year so far, the figures are up on last year. We would ask the motorcyclists to slow down and make sure they are wearing the proper clothing."
On driver fatigue, Supt McIntyre said the Garda fully supports the RSA's campaign and appealed to motorists to use service stations when available and take short breaks of 10 to 15 minutes from driving should they feel tired.
Both Mr Brett and Supt McIntyre stressed that opening the windows or turning up the radio while continuing to drive would not relieve fatigue.