Rise in traffic volumes brings increase in number of crashes, says AA

Traffic volumes are up to about 85 per cent of pre-Covid levels, bringing with them an increase of more than a third in crashes, according to road traffic authorities.

An Garda Síochána, the AA and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have all noted a spike in incidents on the State’s roads as shops and businesses reopen.

According to the AA, the average number of weekly incidents reported by AA Roadwatch has nearly doubled since the 5km radius was lifted on April 12th. Provisional figures provided by the Garda show 19 people lost their lives on the roads in April alone, almost twice the number who lost their lives in March and almost four times the number who died in each of the first two months of the year.

The AA traffic news team reported an average of 34 incidents per week during the 5km travel restrictions associated with Covid-19. When this was opened up to county-wide travel in April the number rose to 46, and jumped again to 63 in the last week since inter-county travel was allowed.

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However, the total number of people killed so far this year is 12 less than the 57 killed between January 1st and May 21st in 2020.

AA Roadwatch has also reported an increase in congestion, especially in the morning, with city traffic building up a bit earlier.

TII, which monitors traffic volumes based on counters embedded in the main roads, said there was a very significant jump after the ban on inter-county traffic was lifted.

Dublin’s M50 has seen a 20 per cent increase in reported traffic volumes since the 5km limit was lifted and is now at 87 per cent of pre-pandemic volumes. There were bigger increases on the M11, which was up 41 per cent, and on the M1, which was up 44 percent.

Traffic monitor

According to TII’s daily traffic monitor, Friday morning was a busy day on the State’s main roads .

Traffic volumes on the radial routes into Dublin, compared with those prior to the start of the October Level 3 restrictions, all saw increases in volumes.

The rises were:

– M1 at M50 to Dublin Airport, up 3 per cent
– M11 at Bray, up 5 per cent
– M4 at Celbridge-Maynooth up 4 per cent
– N7 at Citywest up 10 per cent.

Also on Friday morning traffic on the M50 between the N3 Navan road and the N4 Galway road, showed a 9 per cent increase compared with pre-Level 3 traffic.

Car traffic just south of the Northern Ireland Border on the N1 at Jonesborough shows a 1 per cent increase as compared with Friday 14th May and a 7 per cent increase since the start of the October Level 3 restrictions.

However, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office, public transport passenger numbers are still dramatically lower than pre-pandemic levels, which may be a reason for increased car journeys.

“If you are travelling somewhere for the first time in a while, bear in mind that some road layouts have changed, particularly within town and city centres.

"If driving, be extra mindful of pedestrians and cyclists who may need more room for physical distancing,” said Paddy Comyn, AA Ireland’s head of communications .