Gardaí launch August bank holiday road safety crackdown amid rise in road deaths

The enhanced roadside checks come as 2025 has recorded the highest number of road deaths in a decade. File picture

An Garda Síochána is set to carry out extensive road policing operations over the August bank holiday weekend, with increased enforcement running from Thursday to Tuesday.

The enhanced roadside checks come as last year recorded the highest number of road deaths in a decade. As of July 28, 2026, 185 people have died on Irish roads, 13 more than during the same period last year.

According to figures from An Garda Síochána, 4,600 motorists have been arrested for driving offences during the first half of the year. More than 18,000 vehicles have also been seized over the same period.

"The current level of fatalities on Irish roads and the tragic increase we've observed over the past few years is very concerning,” said Garda Assistant Commissioner Denis Ferry.

“Each fatality is not just a number; it is a person with a family, friends, colleagues and a community.

"These rising fatalities are symptomatic of a bigger and very worrying concern around road safety in general. We are repeatedly seeing high levels of detections and enforcement activity by our members due to sustained non-compliance with road traffic laws by road users.” 

During the first six months of the year, gardaí issued more than 119,000 speeding detections, 14,500 detections for mobile phone use while driving, and 3,000 detections for failing to wear a seatbelt.

Figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) show that one in four road fatalities in 2025 involved people aged between 16 and 25.