Thirteen people were killed on the roads last month, a decline of 38 per cent from the number killed in January 2011.
Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins, a member of the European Parliament Transport Committee, said 60 lives could be saved this year, compared to the number killed on Irish roads in 2011, if the same rate of improvement was maintained through the year.
A report by the European Transport Safety Council last summer showed Ireland to be the sixth safest country for road users out of 27 EU member states.
