Road deaths increasing in Ireland despite EU-wide decline

Safety experts are concerned that 2014 recorded the worst annual reduction in EU-wide road deaths since 2001.

Ireland was one of 12 EU states in which road deaths rose last year compared to 2013. The others included the UK, Germany, and France.

Fatalities on Irish roads rose to 195 last year, compared to 188 in 2013 — an increase of 3.7%. Ireland had the ninth-lowest death rate from fatal road collisions in the EU in 2014, with 42 deaths per million inhabitants. The average is 51 deaths per million inhabitants.

Figures published by the European Transport Safety Council show that 25,845 people were killed on roads in the EU last year — an annual decrease of 0.6%.

The ETSC, whose members include the Road Safety Authority in Ireland, said an annual reduction of 8% in road deaths would be needed every year between now and 2020 to reach the EU target of half the number of roads deaths of 2010.

There was also a 3% increase last year in the number of people seriously injured in traffic collisions — up to 203,500 — in the 23 EU member states that record such data.

The number of people who suffered life-changing injuries had been falling at a slower rate than road fatalities for several years, before it increased in 2014. In Ireland, 439 people were seriously injured in road accidents last year, down 22% since 2010.

However, the ETSC said that it was concerned that a planned EU strategic target to reduce the level of serious injuries from road collisions has been dropped, despite being recently promised by the current European Commission.

“These latest figures reinforce the message that road safety requires consistent political support at the highest level, constant vigilance on enforcement, and network safety management,” said ETSC executive director Antonio Avenoso.

He also claimed government needed to respond to evolving challenges, such as increased numbers of people walking and cycling, as well as an ageing society.

“Reaching the EU target for 2020 is at risk, but it might still be reachable if combined efforts at both national and EU levels are stepped up urgently,” said Mr Avenoso.

The ETSC pointed out that there were still 15,454 fewer road deaths in the EU between 2011 and 2014 than if the 2010 rate had continued — a reduction valued at €30bn.