Road safety bosses have slammed drivers who use their phones to check social media behind the wheel.
Assistant Commissioner David Sheahan of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said they were putting themselves and others at risk.
He said: "They're surfing the net, they're looking at their Instagram, they're looking at their Facebook.
“If you are travelling at 100kmph, you’re actually travelling 90 feet a second, if you take your eyes off the road for two or three seconds, that’s the distance you can travel in that period of time.
"We are asking people to please be respectful of other road users, not just yourself, this time of the year people get out and about to enjoy themselves, we don’t want their weekend destroyed because you’re using a mobile phone.”
On Wednesday, it was revealed almost 5,000 motorists were caught using their mobile phones behind the wheel in the first two months of 2019.
Almost 5,000 Irish motorists caught using mobile phone while driving in first two months of 2019
Gardai nabbed 4,905 drivers on their phones in January and February of this year, a 24% increase on the same period in 2018 when 3,963 drivers were stopped.
Drivers caught using their phone behind the wheel face three penalty points on their licence and a €60 fine.
And Assistant Commissioner Sheahan warned motorists that mobile phone use could result in a driving ban.
He said: "If you are a fully licensed driver and get 12 penalty points in a three year period you will be disqualified from driving for six months.
"However, if you are a learner permit holder or novice driver and receive seven points in a three year period you will face a six months disqualification.
"We are calling on all motorists to save lives and keep their hands on the wheel and off the phone while driving.”
Funeral details for Tipperary man Jake Anderson, 21, who died in tragic crash announced
Assistant Commissioner Sheahan described the increase in deaths on Irish roads this year (51 to date) as a “worrying trend".
He said: “When you go to these people and tell them that their loved one was killed, that’s where the real hurt is.
“Last bank holiday weekend (St Patrick’s weekend), five people were killed, we need to move away from that.”
Two men have been killed in separate road accidents this week already.
Jake Anderson, 21, died on Monday April 15 following a Funeral details for Tipperary man Jake Anderson, 21, who died in tragic crash announced on the N24 road near Cahir.
Man, 50s, tragically killed after two vehicle crash on N24 near Clonmel, Co Tipperary
And a man in his 50s was killed Man, 50s, tragically killed after two vehicle crash on N24 near Clonmel, Co Tipperary between Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir on Wednesday night.
Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority RSA told The Irish Daily Mirror: “You’re four times more likely to crash and kill someone if you’re using a mobile phone.
“There is a real FOMO (fear of missing out) culture out there, people are afraid of missing something and it’s not even ringing somebody or texting somebody, it’s all about social media, the latest alert on Instagram, Twitter or whatever.
“That is just as distracting and I think that is part of the problem here, people have gotten so addicted to hearing what’s happening, they’re afraid of putting it away and switching it off.
“We’ve seen some very serious crashes with dire consequences, people killed, because someone’s been scrolling on a music app or checking WhatsApp messages.
“It’s all lethal and you cannot do it and drive safely.
“The message from the Road Safety Authority and the guards is ‘Put it away, engine on, phone off’.”
