A new 'hard-hitting' safety campaign including a ‘death notice’ sign is being rolled out this Bank Holiday weekend. 

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) have launched the ‘Time to Talk’ campaign to appeal to road users to consider the devastating consequences of dangerous driving. 

€3 million has been allocated to the campaign and will be complemented by further education and awareness activity by An Garda Síochána and other agencies. 

Junior Minister for Road Safety Jack Chambers says campaign images will include a 'blank death notice' - to remind people that they, or someone they care about, could be killed. 

“It resembles a death notice, a blank death notice, reminding people that it could be you or it could be your loved one,” he said. 

“[It’s a reminder] to have that conversation and chat with family and friends about the real devastating consequences that a fatality can have within a family and within a community.” 

Young people's road safety

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast earlier this week, Minister Chambers said the campaign wants to target younger people in particular. 

"We need a hard-hitting dimension to our road safety campaign because we're seeing the devastating consequence it's having right across the country," he said. 

"The particular loss of young people we've seen in the last year - 40% under 30 are the numbers who've lost their lives on our roads". 

Over one-quarter of fatalities on Irish roads were aged 16 to 25 last year, compared with 16% in 2022. 

Bank Holiday safety

Minister Chambers also said people “just need to be cognizant of that when they're getting into their car.” 

"Too many people are engaged in high-risk behavior on the road: speeding, using their mobile phone, intoxicated while driving and also not wearing a seatbelt,” he said. 

"Those killer behaviours are part of the persistent trend we've seen this year and indeed last year.” 

Some 69 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, compared to 53 within the same time period last year.