Road deaths in Northern Ireland have surpassed the total for the entire year in 2021 and almost matched the number from last year.
A total of 54 people have died on the roads this year, the latest Armagh man Patrick Grimley over the weekend and Co Derry teenager Candice Tosh.
The number of deaths in just over 10 months this year is eleven more than the same period last year.
In the Republic, four people, including Donegal teenagers Alana Harkin and Thomas Gallagher, died in 24 hours, bringing the total to 165, ahead of the 155 killed over the entire year in 2022.
'My first true love' - father pays tribute to daughter Candice Tosh (15) after Co Derry crash
More than 200 people have now died on the roads across the island so far this year.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described the rising number of road deaths as “disturbing” and added it was “something I will be taking a personal interest in as Taoiseach".
Ms Tosh (15) is among the latest road fatalities. She died days after she was struck by a car on the Dunhill Road in Macosquin.
"Once heard from someone who had lost his only child and in her memory he gets up every day, does good in the world to help people,” her father Bryan said.
"But his main thing whilst doing this [was to] to make her proud.”
Her death followed that of Ms Harkin and Mr Gallagher in the early hours of Monday.
The teenagers were returning from a local restaurant where Ms Harkin worked when the single car accident happened near Gleneely in Inishowen.
Both are from the village.
A third person, a young man in his late teens, was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Mr Gallagher was a Leaving Certificate pupil at Moville Community College. Ms Harkin attended Carndonagh Community School, completing her Leaving Certificate last summer.
Simpson's Bar and Restaurant, where Ms Harkin worked, posted a tribute on Facebook, saying with “a heavy heart that we lost our dear friend and colleague”.
"Alana had a smile that would brighten up any room, she was always so bubbly and friendly, she will always have a special place in our hearts and will be sorely missed by all,” staff wrote.
The family of Mr Gallagher paid an emotional tribute to the 18-year-old who they described as their “darling son and brother” and that he was the "light of every room".
Two more road deaths happened on Monday, in Dublin and Monaghan.
A cyclist was pronounced dead after a crash involving an e-bike and a truck in Dublin. It happened around 12.30pm on the Dolphin’s Barn Bridge.
Shortly before 4pm, a man was killed in a crash involving two lorries in Co Monaghan. Gardai said the crash happened on the R188 between Coutehill and Rockcorry.
The driver of one of the lorries, a man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Five people, three men and two women, remain in hospital following a four-car crash early on Saturday in Co Armagh that killed 40-year-old Patrick Grimley.
Mr Grimley, who will be buried in his home village of Madden on Wednesday morning, was the secretary of the local GAA club and known through the county as a commentator on Armagh TV.
He was described as a “brilliant family man" and a “driving force” within the club. His wife Ciera is one of the injured who remains in hospital.
Department for Infrastructure Dr Denis McMahon, at the Friday launch of the 2023/24 road safety strategy, said: “Too many people are losing their lives on our roads. Behind the statistics, each of those deaths represents a family and community torn apart.”
