2021 was the safest year on Irish roads since records began, with the number of road deaths last year down on 2020.
Provisional figures form the Road Safety Authority showed 130 people died on Irish roads in 2021.
However the figures were recorded before a crash yesterday in which three people lost their lives.
This means the number of people who died on Ireland's roads last year was down 13 on 2020, making 2021 the safest on Irish roads since records began in 1959.
2021 also saw the lowest deaths among pedestrians in the past 25 years. However, there was an increase in deaths among drivers and motorcyclists.
Around 75% of all those who died on the roads were men and 1,091 people were also seriously injured last year.
Road Safety Authority Chief Executive Sam Waide said the majority of collisions are preventable and that Ireland has committed to halving all road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and eliminating them by 2050.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton welcomed the new record low, but said it would come as a cold comfort to those who have been injured and the families left grieving the loss of a loved one.
