Leo Varadkar and the gardaí are appealing to people to consider their behaviours when driving to try to ensure there are no deaths on the roads this bank holiday weekend.
Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman said that 25 people have already been arrested on Thursday night for driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.
Bank holidays see more people use Irish roads than usual, and fatal or serious collisions are statistically more likely.
One hundred people have died in car crashes on Irish roads this year so far, an increase on the same period last year.
This includes the deaths of best friends 17-year-old Kiea McCann and 16-year-old Dlava Mohamed, who were killed on Monday after the car they were travelling in left the road and hit a tree outside Clones in Co Monaghan.
Two other people, including Dlava’s 18-year-old sister Auin, remain in a critical condition after the crash, which took place on the way to a Debs ball in Co Monaghan.
Twenty-three young people aged 16-25 have died on Irish roads so far this year, which is significantly higher than in the first six months of 2021 and 2022.
Almost half of all deaths on the roads occurred at night-time, between the hours of 8pm to 8am when the roads are at their quietest.
Three counties account for almost one third of all fatalities this year so far – 11 deaths in Co Galway, 10 deaths in Co Mayo, and nine fatalities in Co Cork.
Speaking ahead of the bank holiday weekend, the Taoiseach said he is deeply worried about rising road death figures in Ireland, and said his family had “lost somebody on the roads”.
He said he and Justice Minister Helen McEntee had discussed the issue with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris at a meeting during the week.
Mr Varadkar said Garda resources on the roads over the bank holiday weekend were designed to provide more visible enforcement of road safety laws.
“I’m a former transport minister, I’m a member of a family who lost somebody on the roads, it really concerns me, it really pains me to see an increase in road deaths,” he told reporters in Co Louth.
“We’ve made so much progress as a country over the past 10 or 20 years and to see that going backwards really worries me, it worries me deeply.
“So additional and more visible enforcement is part of the solution. But, fundamentally, it’s also about our own behaviours.
“You know, very simple things – wearing a seat belt, not drinking and driving, keeping speed limits, not looking at your phone while you’re driving.
“They’re the most effective measures and I really would appeal to people let’s try and make this bank holiday a bank holiday which nobody dies on the roads.”
An Garda Síochána are also appealing to all road users to stay safe on the roads this weekend, and will be conducting a enforcement operation that began on Thursday morning and will continue until 7am on Wednesday.
Ms Hilman said speeding and driving under the influence of substances were some of the reason why the number of fatalities were higher than in previous years.
“Our message to all road users is to share the road safely, to look out for one another, especially if you’re heading away to an event, especially vulnerable road users, those pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists,” she said.
“If you are travelling, plan your journey and to take into account road and weather conditions – there’s a weather warning coming in as well for today and tomorrow. Slow down and travel at a distance and travel at a speed that is relevant to your road and weather conditions.”
