There was a 13% increase in road deaths last year, figures from the Road Safety Authority show.
The provisional figures from the RSA found 155 people died in 149 road crashes in 2022 compared to 137 deaths in 124 crashes the previous year.
The figures show that 41 pedestrians were killed on Irish roads last year, nearly double the amount killed in 2021, when 21 pedestrians died.
Drivers accounted for the highest proportion of deaths at 39%, with 60 killed last year, down 10 from the previous year.
The number of passenger fatalities increased by 22% from 18 in 2021 to 22 last year.
A total of seven cyclists were killed last year, the same as in 2021.
The figures also show there were over 1,290 serious injuries recorded up to 29 December, down slightly from over 1,340 up to the same period in 2021.
Cork and Dublin recorded the highest number of deaths with 13 each, while 10 people died on roads in Limerick.
Where it was possible to establish the use of a seatbelt or not among drivers and passengers killed, a total of 19% were found not to have been wearing a seatbelt.
The figures were published following an analysis of provisional fatal collision reports from gardaí.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Jack Chambers said he was "very concerned" with the number of road deaths.
"The high number of pedestrian deaths, who are the most vulnerable of road users in our community, is also worrying. Working together, we can reverse this trend in 2023."
Chairperson of the RSA Liz O'Donnell said she is "particularly concerned by pedestrian deaths" and that the RSA "weren't expecting that".
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, she said that the figures released are provisional and some fatalities are still being investigated by gardaí, but that "speed is a factor in pedestrian deaths".
"If you hit a pedestrian at 60km/h, nine out of 10 pedestrians will die. If you hit them at 30km/h, nine out of 10 of them will survive. So the impact of speed on these pedestrian deaths is really critical".
She said that research is showing that people are not obeying the speed limits.
Ms O’Donnell said the RSA is "urging the Government to review all national speed limits".
She said it is a concern "particularly on the 80km/h roads because that’s where the majority of fatal crashes happen, and at the moment that is under consideration by the Government and we welcome that", and that on those roads she "would imagine it would have to come down to 60".
