The State's busiest road - the main M1/N1 road from Dublin to the Border - has been the focus of a number of initiatives aimed at reducing the death toll in recent years.
Accident statistics for last year show that Co Louth had the highest rate of accidents, at 7.1 per 1,000 registered vehicles.
The number of road deaths in the Louth/Meath traffic police division rose by 10 to 57 last year,while the number of deaths on the N1/M1 remained static at nine.
Operation Lifesaver, which was begun by the garda∅ in 1997, targeted speeding, drink-driving, and seat-belt wearing, through visible enforcement and the use of speed cameras, in the Louth-Meath division.
Road accidents now cost the State more than £600 million (€760 million) a year.
The reduction in injuries achieved by Operation Lifesaver in the Louth/Meath division represented a saving of £7.8 million (€9.9million) in 2000, according to a report on the initiative carried out for the National Roads Authority (NRA).
In another initiative earlier this year the garda∅ placed mangled wrecks of cars alongside the main Dublin to Belfast road along a quarter of a mile stretch north of Dundalk in an effort to reduce the number of fatal road accidents. While horrifying some drivers the move was welcomed by the AA as a "creative initiative" promoting safer driving.
During the five-hour operation members of the traffic corps slowed down traffic in the vicinity of the display, and handed out road safety leaflets. The garda∅ also noted drivers' comments and views on road safety issues on specially prepared questionnaires.
It is understood however that there is some disappointment in road safety circles about the speed of the deployment of additional speed cameras.
In addition to the Garda efforts the NRA is implementing engineering measures to help reduce road accidents. NRA figures, based on Garda research, attribute 37 per cent of all fatal two-vehicle accidents to one car travelling on to the wrong side of the road. Nearly one in four fatal two-vehicle collisions involved speeding.
While some sections of the M1/N1 have been improved, the "patchwork" nature of road building in the past has led to black spots, especially long single carriageways with crossing traffic, where people regularly lose their lives in collisions.
The NRA claims that the planned construction of 900 kilometres of motorway and high-quality dual carriageway would save some 50 lives a year.
Last May the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise and Small Business was told there was a 4.5 per cent increase in compliance with speed limits in the Louth/Meath area after the initiatives were begun.
While this was good, Dr Raymond Fuller, of the Trinity College psychology department, said the assessment of Operation Lifesaver carried out for the NRA found there was less compliance at more extreme speeds, over 80 miles per hour.
Speaking about young drivers, Dr Fuller said that as a group they were particularly vulnerable, as was known from the statistics.
He said that in the first year after getting a full licence, their risk of accident had a "dramatic drop" of 30 per cent, which was attributable to the driving experience gained.