Checkpoints are in place across the country as part of a Garda Bank Holiday Road Enforcement Operation.
The campaign is aimed at making roads safer by highlighting dangers facing motorists and an increased focus of targeting road users who flout the law.
Gardaí are warning motorists that the risk of being killed or seriously injured in road crashes is particularly high today.
So far this year, 56 people have lost their lives in road collisions, including a woman in her 30s who died following a two-car collision on the N24 in Co Tipperary last night.
Yesterday, gardaí said that 19 people were arrested on suspicion of intoxication from drink or drugs in the first 24 hours of the Garda Easter Bank Holiday road safety enforcement campaign, which will continue until Tuesday morning.
Speaking at a checkpoint in Chapelizod in Dublin yesterday, Sergeant Gavin Coleman said the number has increased by 13 from this time last year, "so it is going obviously in the wrong direction this year".
"The message today was that people need to, if they're planning on having a night out, make sure you have a safe way to get home," Sgt Coleman said, adding "if you are planning to drive, don't drink, don't use drugs.
"Don't get distracted by your mobile phones".
Speaking about the number of lives lost, he said: "That's 55 people that won't be having dinner on Sunday, Easter dinner on Sunday with their families. They are real. They're not statistics. They're real people. They're real people who are not coming home to their families because of something that happened on our roads.
"Don't get distracted by anything"
"It is within our power to change. Every single driver on the roads has the power to change to make the right decisions to make the right choices."
Asked why today might be the most dangerous time this Bank Holiday weekend in terms of collisions, Sgt Coleman said: "People are travelling for social reasons. Or not commuting. You may be going somewhere that's unfamiliar. You may be relaxing. You're not doing the same trip every day."
He warned that it only takes a split second for accidents to happen.
"You may be distracted with something, if you're planning something on the way, the mobile phone is beside you," Sgt Coleman said.
People needed to get out of that habit and put their phones away, he said.
"As soon as you pick up that phone you're committing an offense and the possibility of you being involved in a collision is raised dramatically," he added.
"Don't get distracted by anything. Concentrate on the task. Don't use drugs. Don't drink while you're driving and particularly be careful with the morning after."
Contributing factors
Bad manners and poor identification of black spots are contributing to crashes on the roads, according to Pat O'Connor, the Public Information Officer of the Coroner's Society of Ireland.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr O'Connor said that while authorities have a responsibility to identify areas where accidents have happened and to learn from them, motorists should also behave responsibly and not take risks.
"The 55 deaths on the roads [so far] in Ireland this year really does not give the significance of the number of other injuries that are caused to hundreds of people," Mr O'Connor, who is also coroner for Mayo, said.
"If you multiply that out through the community, you're talking about thousands of people that are affected by either deaths or serious injuries."
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Mr O'Connor said he has previously suggested that motorists should take refresher driving courses.
He said people study for exams but have then forgotten much of the information weeks later.
"Cars require an NCT test every four years and then they require it every two years and then, depending on the age, every year," he said.
"Why not have a system where the person who wants to renew their licence after a ten-year period must do a course, whether it's online or otherwise, and produce that certificate.
"The course itself would just remind people of the dangers of driving, but also the rules of the road and what should be observed."
People urged to take care on the water
Meanwhile, Water Safety Ireland is urging anyone planning water activities over the weekend to take care.
Water Safety Ireland Deputy CEO Roger Sweeney said that while there has been a fall in the number of drownings in recent years, people should not get complacent.
He said that on average, 118 people drown in Ireland every year, "so that’s still about ten every month, so that’s still a significant public health issue and we learn from those tragedies."
Speaking the same programme, Mr Sweeney said that over the last five Easter holidays, a dozen people drowned.
He said that while some of those were swimming, some were out walking and had no intention of getting into the water.
He urged people not to have "an unhealthy bravado" towards water.
"Have a healthy respect for whatever your activity is, even if it’s walking, and we’ll all come home safely," he said.
Additional reporting: Fergal O'Brien
