Fifteen people have died in fatal road incidents over the Christmas period, including four deaths since New Year's Day, gardaí have said.
Gardaí said 818 suspected driving under the influence arrests took place during the Christmas roads policing operation, which began on 1 December and ends today.
That is the equivalent of one incident every hour.
One-in-four people found to be driving under the influence tested positive for drugs.
Chief Superintendent Jane Humphries, of the Garda National Road Traffic Bureau, said 15 people died on Irish roads since 1 December, a decrease from the 17 deaths during the same period last year.
However, she said that while serious injuries are also down marginally to 84 compared to 104, "this is not a good news story", as the number of road traffic incidents remains a cause for concern.
She said that overall 184 road fatalities occurred throughout 2023, a 19% rise on the 155 deaths in 2022.
A further 15,542 speeding incidents were also recorded, while 1,011 people were found to be using their mobile phones while driving and there were another 291 incidents related to seat belt use.
Chief Supt Humphries said gardaí will continue to impose road safety measures to the full extent of the law and urged drivers and passengers to be responsible on the roads.
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Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, she said that gardaí want to find out what causes accidents, but reminded drivers to keep to the appropriate speed for the conditions of the road they are travelling on.
"Overall road traffic collisions during the same period last year there is a reduction of 15%, but again this is not good enough - we know what causes accidents.
"Driving is a privilege; it is not a right, and as a driver, you cannot afford to take your eyes off the road for a split second.
"People do not think it is going to happen to them. They do not think the collision is going to involve them.
"There is also an element of probably to their own attitude and culture - they do not see that they are doing any harm by driving a couple of miles home under the influence."
She said safety measures are in place for a reason, and that while there was a small reduction in deaths over this Christmas period compared to 12 months ago, the overall rise in road deaths in 2023 compared to 2022 is a cause for concern.
