A total of 341 people died on Irish roads during 2003, according to provisional figures compiled by the gardaí.
The total is 35 fewer than in 2002 and the lowest since 1964.
Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan, said that the decline in the number of fatalities reflected the impact of the penalty points system and the extension of the drink driving laws.
Mr Brennan said that in addition to the drop in deaths there had also been a drop of at least 20% in serious injuries on the roads.
