Gardai are clamping down on road safety this weekend with checkpoints mounted right across the country.

The risk of a serious collision is higher over the bank holiday due to increasing volumes of traffic.

Last year saw a sharp rise in the number of people killed on our roads with one in five fatalities not wearing their seatbelt.

Brian Farrell from the RSA is asking drivers not to become complacent:

“It really is a no-brainer, you know. You should almost be doing it automatically, unconsciously, putting on the seat belt whenever you get into a car. But, unfortunately, there is a small group out there who think that they are exempt from the laws of physics and believe that they can survive a crash, or not end up with serious injuries if they are in a collision and not wearing a seat belt.

"Look, you gotta wear the seat belt, front and rear, no matter how short the trip.”

Image credit: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland