Gardaí urge caution over Bank Holiday as January road fatalities hits highest figure in 10 years

Gardaí are appealing to all road users to take care over the new Bank Holiday weekend. 

An Garda Síochána issued the warning ahead of the first St Brigid's Bank Holiday to remind motorists to drive responsibly, particularly on rural roads where the majority of fatalities are taking place.   

A total of 156 people died on Irish roads last year, with 18 fatalities recorded in January 2023 already and 20 to date (February 2). 

The latest road fatality occurred on February 1 in Co Mayo whereby two men in their 20s died in a collision involving a car and an articulated truck. 

The figures for January 2023 are reportedly the highest in a decade. 

Assistant Commissioner of Roads Policing with An Garda Síochána, Paula Hilman, said, "In this first St Brigid’s Bank Holiday weekend I am appealing to all roads users to look out for one another on the road. Bank Holiday Weekends are a very busy time on the roads and our experience is that the risk of fatal and serious injury collisions increases during these periods. This year to date there have been 20 fatalities on the roads. We are asking everyone to work together in keeping our roads safe.
 
"Similarly to other bank holidays this weekend we will be focusing on the four lifesaver offences; driving under the influence, speeding, non-wearing of seatbelts and mobile phone use. An Garda Síochána will engage with the public and work with our partners to keep people safe on our roads, this bank holiday weekend.
 
"During the hours of darkness, please ensure that you are clearly visible to other road users. Sixty percent of Fatalities to date this year has been drivers, therefore I would ask all drivers to reduce their speed and arrive safely to their destination this weekend. Finally, I want to wish you all a safe and enjoyable St Brigid’s Weekend." 

Road users including motorcyclists are reminded to expect increased traffic volumes on roads across the country, with pedestrians advised to wear high visibility at night and on roads without public lighting and footpaths. 

Cyclists should wear safety helmets and ensure they have a white light to the front and red light to the back so they are visible to pedestrians and drivers. 

Gardaí are also reminding vehicle drivers and motorcyclists to be mindful of the 4 key lifesaver offences, which includes driving under the influence, speed, non-wearing of seat belts and mobile phone use. 

Gardaí recorded over 50,000 road traffic collisions during 2022 including 1,238 serious injury collisions, 4,526 minor injury collisions and 44,853 material damage collisions, as well as the 150 fatalities. 

A total 8,038 drivers were caught driving under the influence in 2022, with 660 people caught in January 2023.  

Over 165,000 FCNs for speeding offences were issued during 2022, with almost 6,000 for seat belt offences and 18,524 for mobile phone offences. 
 
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers, also commented and said, "There has been a worrying start to the year with 20 fatalities on the road. I am urging all road users to take greater care over the St. Brigid’s weekend as we know that bank holiday weekends in general are high risk periods on the road. 
 
"I want to remind drivers too that the fines for 16 road traffic offences were doubled last October, so don’t ruin your weekend by having to pay for something that is completely preventable. Please slow down, wear your seatbelt, stay off the phone and watch out for pedestrians and cyclists.”
 
Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority, Sam Waide, said, "One of the main road safety themes for the RSA and An Garda Siochana in 2023 is safer speeds. Inappropriate and excessive speed is the largest contributory factor to fatal and serious injury collisions in Ireland. So, this new bank holiday weekend I am appealing to drivers to slow down. 5% reduction in average speed could result in a 30% reduction in fatal collisions.