Road users have been urged by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to remain vigilant across the country this weekend as latest forecasts suggest snow and ice will begin to ice.
A Status Yellow ice warning will come into effect at 7:00p.m today and will remain in place until 10:00a.m tomorrow (Saturday, March 11).
Met Éireann has forecast that it will become milder from Saturday night “with spells of rain and blustery conditions feeding in from the Atlantic at times”.
But the RSA has advised that snow and ice could linger in sheltered spots and on bends and corners.
“Slow down and expect the unexpected. Be aware of the risk posed by thawing ice and slush building up at roadsides,” it has warned.
The RSA said milder temperatures could also lead to some localised flooding as snow and ice thaws.
Separately the RSA and An Garda Síochána (AGS) today (Friday, March 10) launched a March bank holiday appeal to road users to “act responsibly and drive safely when travelling on the roads over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend”.
According to the authority 37 people have lost their lives on the roads in 2022.
“In the last 5 years, 11 people have been killed and 55 people have been seriously injured on our roads over the St. Patrick’s Bank holiday weekend,” the RSA stated.
This year’s appeal is focusing on drink driving, which the authority has said is a major factor in collisions.
“The message is not to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking alcohol,” the RSA outlined.
The authority stated “Driving the morning after a night out, while still having alcohol in your system puts every road user at risk. One in 10 alcohol related collisions happen the morning after. The message is simple never, ever drink and drive.”
This year over the bank holiday weekend, throughout the country, Gardaí will hold a number of “mandatory impairment testing checkpoints” to detect drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs.