Ireland had the highest percentage increase in road deaths in the EU in 2023, according to the latest figures from the European Commission.
Although the rate of deaths per population size remains below the EU average, the numbers have been rising.
Last year, 184 people were killed on road in Ireland.
“What that shows is that the trend is going in the wrong direction in Ireland”, says Helen Kearns from the European Commission’s Dublin office.
“We continue to see increases in road fatalities. Importantly that means we [in Ireland] are out of step with the overall EU trend where road fatalities are decreasing.”
So far in 2024, 139 people have been killed on Irish roads, six fewer than at this point last year.
Ireland passed a new Road Traffic Act earlier this year which lowered default national speed limits and introduced mandatory drug testing following serious collisions, as was already the case for alcohol.
The then Roads Minister, Jack Chambers, also announced an additional €3 million for the Road Safety Authority to spend on awareness campaigns.
Across the EU, 20,400 lives lost in crashes last year. The EU long term aim is for no one to die – zero deaths – on European roads by 2050.