Nine people have died in accidents on Irish roads since Friday - seven in the Republic and two in the North - in one of the worst periods for fatalities in a long time.
This brings the total killed in accidents in this State for the year so far to 260. The continuing rise in fatal crashes has caused deep concern to the Department of the Environment, the Garda and road safety organisations.
The Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Bobby Molloy, will today announce a plan to reduce road deaths over the October bank holiday weekend. Holiday weekends are when most fatal accidents take place. The plan has been drawn up by the National Safety Council (NSC).
Four 17-year-old friends from a Belfast school who died in a car crash on the Fintown-Glenties Road in Co Donegal on Friday have been named by gardai. Their Vauxhall Nova was in collision with a Volkswagen Passat, carrying two women and five children.
The youths, sixth-formers at Belfast's Methodist College, were Nick Kirkwood, from Ballygowan, Co Down; Chris Sloan, from Holywood, Co Down; David Armstrong, from Belfast; and Chris Hanna, from Downpatrick, Co Down.
Letterkenny General Hospital yesterday said eight people were admitted after the accident.
"One patient died shortly after admission. Three people were dead on arrival at the hospital. We can confirm that three patients are being treated in our intensive care unit and remain in a critical condition and four children are being treated in the paediatric department." The names of the injured have not been released.
There were two other fatal accidents on Friday. Mr Andrew Crinnigan (22), from Lusk, Co Dublin, died in hospital after his car struck a tree at Old Park Road, Portmarnock, Co Dublin. Mr Pat Mullen (31), from Billistown, Delvin, Co Westmeath, was killed when his motorcycle collided with a lorry in Delvin.
On Saturday night, two Co Monaghan teenagers were killed when their car hit a bus at the Ballygawley roundabout, outside Omagh, Co Tyrone. They were named yesterday as Darren Allister (17) and Mark McElvaney (15), both from Ardaghy, near Monaghan town.
A teenage brother and sister who were passengers were taken to Coleraine General Hospital and later to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where their injuries were described as serious.
In the latest accidents last night, a motorcyclist in his late teens was killed when he struck a tree at Lissatava, Hollymount, Co Mayo, at around 8 p.m.
A motorcyclist was also seriously injured when he collided with a car at Rosanna, between Rathnew and Ashford, Co Wicklow. He was taken to Loughlinstown Hospital where his condition was "critical" and he was expected to be transferred to St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin overnight. The four car occupants were not seriously hurt.
Mr Molloy will urge road-users to join the National Safety Council campaign aimed at eliminating all road deaths over the next bank holiday weekend. Five people were killed on the roads and 141 injured during the August bank holiday weekend this year, while six were killed during the May bank holiday weekend.
However, the NSC plans to reverse this trend for the October bank holiday weekend with the launch of its Fly the Flag campaign. Road-users will be urged to wear a special sticker on their lapels or attach it to their vehicles. Those who display the flag will agree to a basic charter.
For motorists this will mean driving at safe speeds, cyclists will commit themselves to wearing helmets and road-users will agree to cross the road safely. The flags will be distributed through supermarkets, petrol stations and bars.