WATCH: 'Make sure you get home safe' - Gardaí launch road safety appeal after Carlow crash

"They left last night to go out and enjoy their night, three are never coming home and one is seriously injured in hospital. This St Brigid's bank holiday weekend, please make sure that you get home safe to your family."

These were the words this Thursday of Superintendent Liam Geraghty who launched the St Brigid's Bank Holiday Roads Policing Campaign after learning January's original number of 15 road deaths had risen to 18, after the fatal road collision in Carlow late this Wednesday night.

Held at Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick, Gardaí appealed to motorists to drive safely without distraction this bank holiday weekend, and Superintendent Geraghty, gave updates on the fatal collision at the launch of the operation this Thursday morning.

"I am not going into too many specifics of the details, it's only a short few hours since we knocked unfortunately on the doors of a number of families to give them this tragic news. We are working very closely with these families."

"Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. Those who may have any form of camera footage who were traveling on the N80 at Leagh, between 11:15pm and midnight, January 31, 2024 to make that footage available to An Garda Síochána."

Between 7am this Thursday and 7am next Tuesday, Gardaí will be thoroughly policing Irish roads. They say that their data shows a risk of a fatal or serious injury road traffic collision is highest between 12pm and 3pm during the St Brigid's bank holiday weekend, and the risk of fatal or serious injury is highest on the Friday of the weekend.

The single-vehicle accident happened at about 11:30pm this Wednesday on the N80 at Leagh on the Wexford Road. Three people travelling in the car, the driver and two passengers, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Another passenger, a man in his 20s, was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

The N80 at Leagh has been closed and Gardaí say it will remain closed for a number of hours as Forensic Collision Investigators examine the scene.

Business students at the University of Limerick joined the RSA and Gardaí after being involved in a collaborative project with the aim of reimagining road safety through contemporary marketing to develop solutions to positively affect young driver behaviour. 

Their ideas included 'Comparing the road to the pitch', and 'One high can lead to a six-foot low', and more. Gardaí will soon promote these projects across all social media platforms to make young people aware of the dangers around driving. 

According to RSA research, in 2023 the highest risk age among road users aged 16-25 was years. This group represented 26% of total fatalities (48 fatalities), and the figures represented an overall increase of 23 road user fatalities compared to 2022.