DUBLIN, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 158 people were killed on roads in Ireland in 2017, the lowest annual figure ever recorded in the country since 1959, authorities said on Monday.

Ireland's Road Safety Authority (RSA) said that a total of 143 fatal crashes occurred in the country last year, leaving 158 people killed.

This represents a 18 percent drop in fatal crashes and a 15 percent drop in deaths over 2016, said the RSA in a press release emailed to Xinhua.

Irish Minister for Transport Shane Ross said improved legislation, greater enforcement and road safety campaigns all played their part in reducing the number of road fatalities in the country.

The Irish government has mapped out a road safety strategy for 2013 to 2020, under which it aims to make the country's roads as safe as the best performing countries in the European Union, said Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive of the RSA.

She said greater efforts must be made by all stakeholders if the country wants to achieve the target set by the government to reduce its road fatalities to 124 or fewer by 2020.