The Road Safety Authority has revealed that 65 people have died on Ireland’s roads since the start of this year.
Statistics taken from January 1 to July 15 of this year have shown a 12% drop in both collisions and deaths on Irish roads; however, despite the decreasing of road accidents Ireland has now been demoted to fifth place in terms of European road safety.
The review also found 406 people were seriously injured in collisions, 199 of which have been either pedestrians, cyclists or motorists. Rural roads have seen the larger part of these collisions and, sadly, the larger part of the fatalities on roads. 82% of deaths occurred on rural roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or higher.
But the number of people killed on Irish roads has dropped in the past six months, compared with the same period of 2020.
Between noon and 4pm was the riskiest time on Irish roads, accounting for 31% of fatalities to date this year.
59% fewer fatalities occurred between midnight and 8am compared to the same period of time last year.