Eight people have been killed on Irish roads over the Christmas period and a further 20 people have been seriously injured, gardaí have said.
There have been 178 road fatalities so far this year.
The figures were revealed by gardaí today, as they renewed their appeal to road users to take extra care over the busy Christmas and New Year period.
Chief Superintendent Jane Humphries of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said the fatalities occurred between 20 December and yesterday.
Among those who died 39-year-old Georgina Hogg Moore and her 40-year-old husband Anthony Hogg, who were killed in a hit-and-run incident in Blanchardstown in Dublin on St Stephen's Day.
Chief Supt Humphries said gardaí were working tirelessly to decrease casualties on the roads, with approximately 2,000 checkpoints carried out each week.
"Unfortunately, and really disappointingly, 74 people alone were arrested this weekend for driving while intoxicated.
"That is an incredible risk that people are taking on our roads. If you have a collision on our roads while under the influence, it is no accident - it is a deliberate act that you have taken."
She also appealed to passengers to take responsibility.
"If you're a passenger in a car of someone who is intoxicated you to have to call them out. Do not let them take that risk with your life and with others, because you are giving them permission to do so by getting into the car with them."
She said gardaí have seen excessive speed on the roads and appealed to drivers to slow down and to pay attention.
Asked about the recent spate of hit-and-run collisions, Chief Supt Humphries said any collision is a cause of concern but in these situations drivers needed to take responsibility.
"If you are involved in a hit-and-run collision, do the right thing. Remain at the scene and take the consequences. If you have been driving with care you have nothing to be concerned about. People are human. People make mistakes ... but you have to take responsibility ... Running away is not the right thing to do, it's creating a lot of heartache for those families and inevitably you will be caught."
Fifteen people have died on the country's roads so far this December, with gardaí saying a higher than usual number of these fatalities were pedestrians.
Gardaí's road traffic enforcement operation began on 29 November and will continue until 6 January.
