Death on the roads - Choose to drive safely this Easter

It is an incontrovertible fact that the Easter weekend can be a lethal period on our roads as, unfortunately, it has proved to be over the last five years.

A total of 21 people were killed following collisions on Irish roads over the past five Easter weekends, according to the National Safety Council, a needless waste of life that could have been avoided.

It is a measure of the grim safety record on our roads that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday issued a personal appeal to road users to be careful as we enter, potentially, one of the most tragic weekends of the year.