A total of 34 people have died on Irish roads so far this year – up nine on the same period in 2018.

Drivers and passengers account for nearly three-quarters of all road fatalities, Garda figures show while, in one in three fatalities, no seat-belt was worn.

The figures show an increase of nearly 30% for the year to date.

Of the 34 people who have lost their lives in fatal collisions, 25 have been either a driver or passenger. 

Chief superintendent Paul Cleary said that other factors such as excessive or inappropriate speed, given weather or road conditions, and intoxicated driving, are also significant.

The chief superintendent said: “Safety-belts are proven life-savers and must be worn every journey, every time.”

Enforcement

Garda enforcement data show a total of 11,541 lack of safety-belt detections  for 2018 – a 5% increase on the previous year.

In January 2019, there were 695 prosecutions for intoxicated driving, an increase of 597 on the 2018 figure.

A total of 820 drivers were pulled up for not wearing a seat-belt in the same month, compared with 525 the previous January.

There were 13,048 speeding incidents detected, a hike of 8,236 (plus 171%) on the previous January, while 2,235 drivers were caught using mobile phones, an increase of 1,888 (plus 544%) compared with the previous January.