The Brexit crisis could be cooled somewhat if the EU and UK were to immediately extend a transit or connectivity accord beyond its expiry date at the end of December, the head of the Irish hauliers business group has said.

For eight families in three counties, it was a black weekend which saw so many young people become cold statistics in this country’s appalling and relentlessly mounting road carnage.

This week witnessed a coincidence of tragedy. By Thursday, the number of people killed on our roads was 292, exactly equivalent to as many people who had died needlessly by the same date last year.