Three people have been killed in a head-on crash, gardai have said.
The two men and one woman died when two cars collided on a minor road beside a wooded area near Corrovaddy, just outside Letterkenny, Co Donegal, at about 1am on Thursday.
Another man was rushed to hospital and is in a serious condition.
Gardai said the three bodies remained at the scene for several hours after the accident and the county coroner had been notified.
The road death toll for the week has reached double figures following the accident and it comes after the Garda Traffic Corps and Road Safety Authority issued appeals for drivers to take care on the roads as the August bank holiday approaches.
Four men were killed in a spate of crashes within hours of each other in Donegal, Meath and Kildare earlier in the week.
And a mother and her teenage son died in a crash in Co Galway on Sunday night, along with other fatal accidents in Kildare and Sligo.
Gardai appealed for witnesses to the latest accident to contact officers in Letterkenny.
Meanwhile, Donegal County Council’s road safety officer, Brian O’Donnell, urged people to be extra vigilant.
“This means always obey the speed limits, reduce speed in inclement weather conditions and allow plenty of time to arrive safely at your destination, always wear your seatbelt, never use a mobile phone while driving, and never drink and drive,” he said.
The council said the latest tragedies were truly horrific and officials said thoughts and prayers were with the families and relatives of those involved.
“We as a community have had far too many tragedies, particularly road traffic collisions,” the council said.
“No family should have to suffer the pain and loss of a loved one as a result of a road traffic collision. It should never be forgotten that behind every figure and statistic are real tragedies and real victims with real lives lost.”
The council urged people to take personal responsibility for road safety.
“Road safety is not issue for the authorities alone. Each one of us who use our roads can make a difference and should take a moment to reflect on how we use the roads and whether or not we could improve our driving and ensure that we do not become another bleak statistic – or the cause of one. These recent tragedies have changed countless lives forever,” it said.
The Road Safety Authority said 11 people have been killed on the roads in the last five days and 105 this year.
Chief executive Moyagh Murdock said: “Eleven deaths is an appalling loss of life, and our thoughts are with all of the 105 families who have been left grieving the loss of a loved one to date this year.
“These deaths should serve as a reminder to us all that using the road is the most dangerous thing we do each day. All it takes is a split second for tragedy to strike.”
The road safety chief appealed for drivers to abide by basic rules of the road such as wearing seatbelts, not speeding or drink-driving or getting behind the wheel after taking drugs or while tired.
Ms Murdock added: “While the Government and public agencies have a responsibility to ensure the roads are made safer, as individuals we must play our part too and accept greater responsibility for our behaviour on the road. Only by doing this can we prevent the kind of carnage we have witnessed this week.”
