THE NUMBER OF road deaths in Ireland in 2021 dropped to a record low, making it the safest year since road deaths were first recorded in 1959, provisional statistics show. 

A total of 130 people died in 119 fatal road collisions in 2021 compared to 146 deaths in 135 fatal road collisions in 2020. This represents 16 fewer deaths or an 11% drop in road fatalities compared to last year.

The figures were published by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) today following an analysis of provisional fatal collision reports by An Garda Síochána.

The figures also indicate that while 18 pedestrians were killed in 2021, this is the lowest number of pedestrian deaths over the last 25 years (a breakdown by road users is only available since 1996).

There were increases in fatalities among both drivers (68, up seven) and motorcyclists in 2021 (21, up four).

Provisional figures for serious injuries indicate that 1,091 serious injuries were recorded up to the 21 December 2021 compared to 1,105 in 2020.

During the course of 2021:

• Over 175,000 drivers were detected committing speeding offences
• Over 23,000 detected using a mobile while driving
• Almost 8,800 arrests were made for driving under the influence of an intoxicant
• Over 7,000 were detected for seatbelt offences
• Over 7,500 unaccompanied learner drivers were detected

“The reduction in road deaths this year means that lives have been saved. While we never know who these people are, it is important that the road using public know that because of their choices and actions, fewer families had to deal with road trauma in 2021,” RSA chairperson Liz O’Donnell said. 

“Looking at the provisional road collision data it’s encouraging to see that there were decreases in the number of passenger, pedestrian, and cyclist deaths this year,” O’Donnell said.

“However, the increase in the number of driver deaths and motorcyclist deaths is a cause for concern. The number of serious injuries is also of concern. For every road death in 2021 there were over eight people seriously injured. Prevention of serious injuries needs to be a focus for us all next year,” she said.

O’Donnell added that “given that 75% of all road deaths were male, we must continue to target interventions at this group”.

“It is vital that we continue the downward trend across all road user categories in 2022 and beyond.”

The Provisional Report on Road Casualty Statistics for 2021 can be found on the RSA website.