The roads of Ireland claimed four lives on Thursday, after car crashes in Co Donegal and Co Galway.
Three people died at 1am on Thursday morning after a head-on collision in Corravaddy, Co Donegal around 6km (4 miles) from Letterkenny.
Two men and a woman died in the crash. The three young people were in two different cars and are understood to have known each other.
The three have been named locally as Steven McGrath, Theresa Robinson, and Kaylem Ó Murachaidh.
One man was injured and was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital.
Meanwhile, gardaí at Ballinasloe are investigating a single vehicle fatal crash at Coolagh, Gurtymadden, Co Galway.
The collision occurred at approximately 2.45am on the Loughrea to Killimor Road (N65), about 3 miles outside Killimor,when the car collided with a concrete barrier. A 26-year-old man was taken to University College Hospital, Galway and was later pronounced dead. No one else was involved in the collision.
The collision has brought the number of road deaths this month to 15.
Second fatal collision
The crash in Corravaddy was the second fatal road crash in Co Donegal in two days.
On Wednesday, two men, Barney McGinley and Dermot Boyle, who were in their late teens and early 20s, died at the scene of the head-on collision on the outskirts of Letterkenny.
The crash has possible links to a suspected robbery being investigated by gardaí.
The men died after their grey Mitsubishi Charisma car struck a yellow Renault Master van on the main Letterkenny to Derry dual carriageway.
Both men, whose car was travelling on the wrong side of the road, died instantly, while the driver of the van, a man in his 40s, was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital.
‘Culture of boy racers’
The CEO of the Road Safety Authority, Moyagh Murdock, offered her condolences to the families of those killed in crashes in Donegal.
Speaking on Newstalk, she said there was a culture of boy racers in Donegal which had been a contributing factor to the high fatality levels in that county.
Ms Murdock said that young drivers are engaging in Russian Roulette if they get involved in risky driving behaviour.
“We need to get into the mind set of young drivers - that there will be tragic outcomes, not just for them, but for others.”
She said that no matter how large a garda presence there is on roads, motorists cannot get away from personal responsibility.
Speaking earlier on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Murdock said, “The physical presence of gardaí is important. Although roads are generally safer now, killer trends are continuing,” she said.
“We cannot get away from personal responsibility. We have to ask ourselves when we get into a car, are you going to do something that will kill me or someone else.”
Ms Murdock said that the RSA had recently completed a “very forensic” report of fatal crashes over the past number of years.
“Absolutely the physical presence of gardaí is a deterrent but people have to take personal responsibility. It is unfortunate that some behaviours are killing people - speed and alcohol. We met with the Garda Commissioner earlier this week and we are very concerned at this trend.”
Gardaí in Donegal are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information can contact Letterkenny garda station on 074-9167100 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.