It is a “tragedy” that on-duty Garda Kevin Flatley “paid the ultimate price” on Sunday while carrying out his policing duties, the Minister for Justice has said.

Jim O’Callaghan said it needs to be ensured that road policing gardaí are “not being put in danger beyond what is acceptable”.

The Minister was speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland radio programme on Monday following the death of Garda Flatley, a father-of-two from north Co Dublin.

The 49-year-old, who lived in the Balbriggan area, was hit by a motorcycle while carrying out a checkpoint near Lanestown in north Co Dublin just before 1pm.

Garda Flatley is survived by his wife Una and children Aoife and Erin. A member of the Roads Policing Unit, he was conducting a speed checkpoint in the area on his own when the incident occurred. He suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

The motorcyclist, a man aged in his 30s, was transported by ambulance to Beaumont Hospital, where he continues to receive treatment for serious injuries.

Mr O’Callaghan said it is a “terrible tragedy” that Garda Flatley lost his life in the line of duty. It also emphasises the “sacrifices and the danger associated with policing in Ireland”.

The Fianna Fáil TD said he would implement “whatever new measures are required” to ensure gardaí are kept as safe as possible while carrying out road policing duties.

Society needs to “slow down”, Mr O’Callaghan said, adding that there is “too much speed on our roads”.

“There are too many lives being lost on our roads,” he said. “Although An Garda Síochána are out there to enforce the law and to make the roads as safe as possible, primary responsibility rests on all of us to ensure that we’re not driving excessively fast.”

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has called for a societal “reset” following the on-duty death of Garda Flatley. He said the incident calls for a “real reset and rethink about our approach as society to road safety”, with excessive speed, drink driving and distraction contributing to road deaths.

Mr O’Callaghan said the commissioner’s talk about a “reset” should induce people to “start looking at ourselves in the first instance, as opposed to saying: ‘Well, what could the gardaí do differently?’”

The Minister said he wants to ensure gardaí have the “top technology”, including to assist with road policing.

“We need to ensure that the best technology is available for An Garda Síochána and I’m certainly committed to that,” he added, referencing facial recognition technology and body cameras.

Gardaí said their investigations are ongoing and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The road was closed on Sunday, and the scene was being preserved for forensic and technical examination. The local coroner and the Office of the State Pathologist have been notified.