Five people have died in four crashes during a single day of horror on Ireland’s roads. 

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a man in his 40s was out walking along the Coast Road in Baldoyle, County Dublin when he was knocked down by a stolen car that was being pursued by Gardaí. 

The driver did not remain at the scene and the man later died. 

Later that day, at around 2pm, a man in his 20s died when the motorbike he was driving crashed on Old North Road in Finglas. There was no other vehicle at the scene when Gardaí arrived. 

Around the same time in County Meath, there was a two-car collision on the R148 near Enfield. 

One of the drivers, a woman in her 80s, died from her injuries. 

Meanwhile, the driver of the second car was taken to Connolly Hospital to be treated for life threatening injuries. 

Gardaí at the scene of a crash. Image: Sheila Naughton/Newstalk

Later that evening, at 11.50pm, there was a two-car crash in Donegal. 

A male driver and his female passenger, both of whom were in their 70s, both died from their injuries. 

The driver of the second car, a woman in her 40s, was hospitalised with injuries that were non-life threatening. 

2023 saw the number of fatalities on Irish roads increase by 19% in comparison to the previous year. 

So far, there have been a higher number of fatalities in 2024 than in the same period last year.

Main image: A member of An Garda Siochana places flowers given by the public near the scene of a crash. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ie