One hundred people have died on Ireland’s roads so far this year, with fatalities in the first six months of 2023 hitting a six-year high.
As of July 26th, 95 people had died in 91 fatal road crashes, an increase of 10 per cent on the same period from last year. In the week since that figure was recorded a further five people have died on Irish roads.
The figures were released the day after two teenage girls, Kiea McCann (17) and Dlava Mohammed (16), were killed in a single-vehicle crash outside Clones, Co Monaghan, while on their way to their debs.
As of Tuesday three counties have accounted for 30 per cent of this year’s fatalities: Galway (11), Mayo (10) and Cork (9).
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The Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána said on Tuesday the recent progress achieved in road safety was at risk of “being undone”.
A worrying trend has emerged in road fatalities among young people – up to July 26th, 23 people aged between 16 and 25 have died in crashes this year. A total of 23 16- to 25-year-olds were killed in the first half of both 2021 and 2022 combined.
Assistant commissioner Paula Hilman, of An Garda Síochána’s roads policing and community engagement, said road deaths were “a tragedy for all affected”.
“The figures published today starkly demonstrate that. Every fatality on our roads is one too many. We will play our part in keeping the roads safe for all.”
Liz O’Donnell, chairwoman of the Road Safety Authority, said the figures demanded that road-users “re-evaluate our own behaviours and habits”.
“Taking simple road-safety steps can have a potentially life-saving impact such as putting away the mobile phone when driving and driving within the speed limit. It is within all our power to prevent further lives being lost. We need everyone to adopt that spirit of collective action to help us reverse the devastating pattern of road trauma and save lives.”
