6 days ago
105 motorcyclists killed on Irish roads since 2020, says RSA
A total of 105 motorcyclists were killed on Irish roads in the last five years, the Road Safety Authority has said.
Additionally, 884 motorcyclists were seriously injured between 2020 and 2024, according to the RSA.
'The Motorcyclist Spotlight Report: Fatalities and Serious Injuries, 2020 to 2024' published by the RSA shows that the 105 motorcyclists that lost their lives accounted for 14% of all road fatalities, while the 884 seriously injured accounted for 12% of serious injuries.
The data showed that there was an average of 21 motorcyclist fatalities and 177 serious injuries per year.
Half of all motorcyclist fatalities took place at the weekend, while 40% of fatalities occurred between 1pm and 5pm, with another 10% between 8pm and 9pm.
Based on Irish collision data, the report shows that young to middle-aged men remain the most vulnerable, with 65% of motorcyclist fatalities aged 16 - 45 and 100% of fatalities being male.
RSA Director of Partnerships and External Affairs Sarah O'Connor said: "This report is a stark reminder of the human cost of road trauma and the acute risks motorcyclists face."
The data also showed that 74% of motorcyclist deaths occurred on rural roads, with Dublin and Cork accounting for the highest numbers of both fatalities and serious injuries.
It also showed that 27% of deaths happened at junctions and that 63% involved collisions with other vehicles.
The vehicles most commonly involved in collisions with motorbikes were cars (59%) and light goods vehicles (13%).
Serious injuries
Serious injuries peaked between May and September, particularly in June (13%).
The majority of serious injuries were male (93%) and 82% were aged 16–55.
Two-thirds of serious injuries occurred between 12pm and 8pm, with Sunday the most dangerous day (22%).
"Failure to observe" was identified as the most common contributory action in multi-vehicle collisions resulting in serious injuries.
The RSA is calling on all road users to "increase vigilance", particularly during the summer months when serious motorcyclist injuries typically rise.
"We must act now to reverse these figures. We all have a part to play in protecting the most vulnerable on our roads. We're urging drivers to take a second look before pulling out or turning – this is a life-saver look and we all need to build it into our every trip," Ms O'Connor said.
