News & Info

Ireland’s road safety figures are going in the opposite direction to most EU countries, who are experiencing a decrease in road fatalities.

According to an annual road safety report released in April 2026 from the European Commission, road deaths across the EU fell by 3% in 2025, while fatalities in Ireland rose by 7%, with 190 tragically people killed on Irish roads.

When compared with pre-Covid, in 2019, there was a 31% increase in road deaths in Ireland, compared to a reduction of 15% in EU average road fatalities.

Solicitor Paul Tracey says this correlates with increased road traffic accident enquiries received by Tracey Solicitors LLP.

“22% of all the enquiries we received in 2025 were from people injured in road traffic accidents. By comparison, in 2019, road accidents made up just 10% of enquiries.

These are all people who have been injured, sometimes quite severely, as a result of negligent driving on our roads, and quite often the accidents involved speeding,” said Paul.

According to the Road Safety Authority, speeding remains a leading cause of accidents, with 10-15% of all collisions, and 30% of fatal collisions the direct result of speeding.

With Ireland aiming to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030 as part of the EU Vision Zero strategy it’s clear that more needs to be done to reach this ambitious, but important target.

Reducing speed is recognised as a proven means of significantly reducing the risk of death or serious injury in road collisions.

It has been estimated that a 5% reduction in average speed can reduce the number of fatalities by 20%.¹

And international evidence from the European Road Safety Observatory consistently proves motorists are less likely to speed if they believe they are likely to be detected and face consequences.

In May 2024, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris requested a business case for funding of an additional 100 speed cameras as part of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.²

The Department of Transport released an update on 16 June 2026 on the progress of the National Safety Camera Strategy.

According to the release:

“Since late 2024, An Garda Síochána, with the assistance of TII and local authorities, have installed three additional average speed camera zones and nine static camera locations. This means that there are now five average safety cameras and nine static safety cameras in operation across the network.”

Paul says that while these additional cameras are a welcome improvement, more action is needed to help to counter the rise in road fatalities and serious collisions.

“If Ireland is to accomplish the Vision Zero strategy, we need broader enforcement of speed limits throughout the country; speed cameras are a vital tool in achieving this.”

I have been working with people who have been injured in road accidents for over 35 years,” he adds, “and it is always very upsetting to see the devastation a road collision has on someone’s life, especially when they have been severely injured or if there are fatalities.

Along with more progress on the Road Safety Strategy from the Department of Transport, we also need a significant change in driver behaviours and attitudes, so that we start to see real improvements in Ireland’s road safety.”  

 

Sources

1 How Slower Speeds are Enforced

2 An Garda Síochána Announces Locations of Nine Static Speed Safety Cameras – Garda