The Road Safety Authority is calling on the Government to increase the number of gardaí in the traffic corps.
During the recession, garda numbers in the traffic unit dropped to 750 from a high of 1,300.
Today it was revealed that road deaths are up 8% on this time last year, representing seven more deaths.
From January until Thursday last week, 93 people died in crashes on the roads.
New figures show that almost half of those deaths happened between Friday and Sunday, with a 20% increase in fatalities between midnight and 6am.
Nearly one in five deaths were drivers aged between 26 and 35.
In the over-66 age group, there was an increase in the number of road deaths.
Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, the Garda Síochána is warning that checkpoints will be focused in rural areas, where drink-driving is likely to occur.
Meanwhile, the Road Safety Authority has highlighted garda resourcing as a problem and its chairperson, Liz O'Donnell, has asked for more resources for the road traffic bureau.
The RSA predicts that if the current trend continues, up to 80 more people could die before the end of this year.
