The August figure could be a one-off as there are generally large and often unpredictable differences in deaths from month to month. However, extra and visible garda enforcement as well as new measures to combat fatalities could have had an influence on the figure.

Amongst these measures is random breath testing, or Mandatory Alcohol Testing (MAT).

Over the August bank holiday weekend, a combination of MAT checkpoints and regular policing led to 323 arrests for drink driving, three people per hour for the period from midnight on Thursday 3 August to midnight Monday 7 August.

Along with MAT, more visible garda checkpoints, media coverage of an increased presence and advertising campaigns from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and heightened public perception of the likelihood of being caught for drink driving seem to have combined to lower the figure.

The RSA chairman Gay Byrne says he is "heartened" by the reduction in deaths on the roads, but stopped short of describing it as the beginning of a trend. He also warned motorists of other road safety measures to come.

On Friday, the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving became illegal and will lead to a fixed fine of 60 and two penalty points for each offence.

FATA L ROAD ACCIDENTS IN AUGUST
1968. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
1976. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
1986. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
(NRA records begin in 1968)