Road users urged to be aware of 'especially vulnerable' motorcyclists in summer months

Gardaí and the Road Safety are reminding people to look out for motorcyclists this bank holiday weekend. Picture: Keith Arkins

Road users have been warned the summer months mark the peak time for serious injuries and fatalities to motorcyclists, as everyone was urged to take care this bank holiday weekend.

Gardaí begin their bank holiday road safety enforcement operation on Thursday morning, as the high-risk summer period comes into focus.

Figures provided by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) show 13 people have been killed in fatal road collisions over the June bank holiday weekend since 2019, with 77 people suffering serious injuries.

It comes as 79 people have already lost their lives on Irish roads this year, eight more than at the same time in 2023, which was in itself a sharp increase on previous years.

Assistant Garda Commissioner Paula Hilman said motorcyclists were “especially vulnerable road users” in Ireland.

“This vulnerability increases during spring and summer months when we see more motorcycles on our roads,” she said.

So far this year there has been 10 motorcyclists killed on Irish roads. We would appeal to all road users to look out for motorcycles on the roads and we would encourage motorcyclists to ensure that their bikes are properly maintained, regularly serviced and that they travel within the appropriate speed limits.

According to RSA figures, the peak time for serious injuries among motorcyclists over the last five years has been between May and September. While June marked the highest number of serious injuries, the highest number of fatalities have taken place in the month of July.

Most of these collisions happened during the daytime, with more than one third happening between 4pm and 8pm and one in five happening on a Sunday. One in five of motorcyclist fatalities have happened in Dublin, while one in 10 have happened in Cork, according to the statistics.

Multiple-vehicle crashes accounted for two-thirds of casualties, with the failure to observe reported as the most frequently noted action for both the motorcyclist and the other driver involved.

RSA chief executive Sam Waide said: “All drivers need to be aware of motorcyclists, particularly in their blind spots — when turning, overtaking, at junctions and when driving on straight roads.

“The roads will be busy this bank holiday weekend, with people travelling to Bloom in the Park in Dublin and the BikeFest on in Killarney, along with other events, so please give space to others."

As well as motorcyclists, the minister with responsibility for road safety Jack Chambers said this weekend was also about reminding people that pedestrians and cyclists are also particularly at risk.

The summer is a lethal period when it comes to road safety. If we’re going to break the trend that we’ve seen in the first few months of this year, we need to be able to slow down and spend that extra few minutes arriving alive.

On mandatory drug testing at serious collision scenes, which will come into effect this weekend, Mr Chambers said it was one of several measures being implemented that would make a difference from a road safety perspective.

Ahead of the May bank holiday weekend, the RSA rolled out a new road safety campaign which resembled a blank death notice to remind people they or someone they care about could be killed on the roads.

“I would ask people not to be that person that loses their lives, that leaves devastation for families and communities,” Mr Chambers added. “If everyone shows compliance and pays extra attention and heed, we can protect people this bank holiday weekend.”