Young people aged 16 to 25 account for a quarter of Irish road deaths this year

Among those aged 21 to 25, there were 16 deaths, including three pedestrians, 10 drivers and three motorcyclists. File picture

A quarter of road deaths in Ireland so far this year have involved young people aged 16 to 25, a significant increase on the same period last year.

Gardaí said on Thursday that 38 people in this age group had died on Irish roads so far in 2026, compared with 26 during the same period in 2025.

Of those aged 16 to 20, there were 22 deaths: four pedestrians, five drivers, seven passengers, three motorcyclists, two pedal cyclists and one e-bike or scooter user.

Among those aged 21 to 25, there were 16 deaths, including three pedestrians, 10 drivers and three motorcyclists.

So far this year, 151 people have died on Irish roads, 12 more than during the same period in 2025.

Gardaí said the monthly average for fatal road traffic collisions currently stands at 15, the same as in 2024 and 2023, but lower than the average of 16 recorded in 2025.

Older road users among those killed 

There have been 31 road deaths among people aged 65 and older this year. These included 10 pedestrians, 11 drivers, five passengers, two motorcyclists and three pedal cyclists.

Gardaí said people aged over 65 account for 10 of the 28 pedestrian fatalities recorded so far this year.

July and August have recorded the highest monthly road death tolls so far this year, with 21 and 22 fatalities respectively.

Sundays accounted for 25% of all road deaths, followed by Saturdays at 17%.

Dublin had the highest number of road fatalities of any county, with 21, followed by Cork with 14.