According to the Road Safety Agency (RSA), around 184 people died on Irish roads in 2023.
Last year was the deadliest in nearly a decade, after 192 people died on the roads in 2014.
Figures released today show a 19% increase in road deaths compared to 2022.
The number of traffic fatalities has decreased during the pandemic, with 136 people killed in 2021 and 146 people killed in 2020.
RSA chair Liz O’Donnell said: “We must do more.”
“We welcome the proposed introduction of a national strategy on camera enforcement, which we understand will be a priority in 2024,” she said.
“The National Strategy not only ensures a consistent approach to the selection and use of different forms of camera technology, but also supports the development of a roadmap for the rollout of camera-based enforcement and provides funding and other critical resources. We ensure that enablers such as: have been identified.”
Of the 184 traffic fatalities in 2023, 69 will be drivers, 44 pedestrians, 34 passengers, 26 motorcyclists, 8 cyclists, and 3 electric scooter users. was.
The counties with the highest number of deaths were Tipperary (16), Dublin (15), Cork (15), Galway (13) and Mayo (12). These accounted for 39% of the total deaths.
This year’s figures show that men account for a higher proportion of fatal crashes, the level of pedestrian fatalities continues to rise in 2022, and fatal crashes are more common at night when there is less traffic on the roads. is made clear.
In 2023, 78% (144 people) of deaths were male and 22% (40 people) were female.
The number of pedestrian deaths was 44, one more than in 2022.
The last time there were more pedestrian deaths was in 2011 (47).
Almost half of the fatal crashes occurred between 8pm and 8am, despite reduced traffic during this time. compared to his 35% in 2022.
More than a quarter of deaths were between the ages of 16 and 25, compared to 16% in 2022.
Almost half (46%) of the deaths occurred between Friday and Sunday.
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“Weekends, late nights and early mornings have been high-risk times throughout the year,” RSA chief executive Sam Wide said.
“Despite low traffic volumes, these times are characterized by a high number of crashes.Evidence shows that these times are more likely to be This suggests that it poses a significant risk.”
“We are targeting these behaviors with new awareness and education initiatives such as our Say It campaign, which launched two weeks ago.”
70 people will die on the roads in Northern Ireland in 2023, up from 54 in 2022 and 50 in 2021.
The Department for Infrastructure Northern Ireland and the PSNI have launched a joint safety appeal asking all road users to share responsibility for road safety in 2024.
Campaigners call for more roads to be policed by gardaí
Susan Gray, from the PARC road safety group, called for more gardaí to be deployed to police road safety, saying numbers had been declining over the years.
“Road Policing Forces only have 641 members, down from more than 1,000 in 2009.
“Forty-seven members have been selected from the road police force this year. [2023] Alone,” she said.
Asked about the number of gardaí in road policing units, the Ministry of Justice said: “Frontline gardaí all contribute to road safety enforcement.”
“While many Gardaí are attached to road policing units, it is important to remember that all frontline Gardaí contribute to policing our roads and keeping them safe,” the department said in a statement. Ta.
“An average of 25% of road enforcement operations are carried out by regular members, with the exception of drug/drink driving enforcement, where 75% are carried out by regular members.
“The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Shochana, including the allocation of personnel between the various Garda forces.
“Garda management will ensure that the allocation of resources is continually considered in light of crime trends and police priorities.
“The Government is committed to providing the funding needed to continue to expand Garda recruitment, with Budget 2024 providing for between 800 and 1,000 new Garda recruitments.
“Increasing the strength of An Garda Síochána to more than 15,000 will enable further expansion of specialist forces, including road policing units.”
By 2023 there will be approximately 90,000 Garda checkpoints.
Garda National Highways Police carried out more than 87,700 checks last year.
Approximately 7,707 people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
There were 200,000 speeding violations in the region.
More than 5,300 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued for not wearing a seatbelt and more than 18,800 drivers were fined for using a mobile phone.
Chief Superintendent Jane Humphreys said: “These figures show that while the majority of road users support our collective work to keep people safe by adhering to the rules of the road, their driving behavior This shows that there are still many things to reflect on.”
“There is room for improvement and as we look towards 2024, we must all pay close attention to our collective responsibility to make Ireland’s roads safer and reduce the number of lives lost and serious injuries caused by road crashes. No need.”
A woman in her late 80s has died after a two-car collision in Co Roscommon yesterday evening.
Gardai and emergency services were called just before 5pm after a two-car collision on the N4 at Doon, near Boyle, Co Roscommon.
The woman driving one of the cars was pronounced dead at the scene.
Additional Report Moira Hannon