Two teenagers died when their car spun out of control and hit a wall in Tallaght, Dublin last night. Two other youths in the vehicle were seriously injured and were taken to Tallaght hospital.
The accident was on a bend on Fortunestown Lane off the Belgard road at around 9.40 p.m. The Toyota Corolla left the road at high speed and crashed head-on into a wall, according to gardai.
The two passengers in their late teens died at the scene. The driver and a fourth passenger, in their late teens and early twenties, were admitted to the emergency unit of Tallaght hospital.
A hospital spokeswoman said their condition was extremely critical but stable.
The exact cause of the accident has yet to be established, gardai said.
The deaths follow six weekend road fatalities.
Gardai yesterday named the motorcyclist who died in a collision with a car near Loughrea, Co Galway.
Mr Stephen Nolan (23) from Tallaght, Dublin, was killed when his motorbike and the oncoming vehicle crashed on Saturday afternoon at Cahernagormuck, two miles outside Loughrea.
Last night's crash brings to 375 the number of people who have died in traffic accidents so far this year.
A total of 413 people died in road accidents last year, according to official figures.
The National Safety Council is expected to launch a Christmas driving awareness campaign, following a successful "hands-on" initiative to mobilise public support for road safety over the October Bank Holiday weekend.
The "Lights for Life" promotion encouraged motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to switch on their lights during the day, use reflective gear or carry torches.