A man has died in a crash in County Westmeath this evening.
The victim in his 70's was the driver of a car involved in a two car collision in the village of Ballinalack.
His death means that more than one person has died on our roads each day this Christmas.
Emergency services in Westmeath were called to the scene of a serious two car collision in Ballinalack at about 3.30 this afternoon.
There they uncovered an elderly man who had lost his life in the crash, while driver of the second car suffered minor injuries, he's been removed to the Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar.
A forensic examination of the scene is being carried out and motorists are being advised to avoid the area, the road is expected to remain closed for a number of hours.
The man is the 12th person to have died on Ireland's roads in the last nine days, yesterday a 38 year old father of six lost his life when his car went into a flooded field in Offaly, while a 7 year old boy died as a result of a multi-vehicle crash Antrim.
Gardaí are appealing for information on all of these incidents, while the Road Safety Authority is urging people to avoid all unnecessary travel.
