Gardaí: 1-in-3 killed or injured on Irish roads in 2025 under 30
An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) are urging all road users to support their efforts to keep everyone on the roads safe over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
The number of drivers and pedestrians that have been killed on Irish roads from January to March was above average when compared to the same period over the past five years, according to gardai.
In the first quarter of this year, one-in-three of those killed or seriously injured on Irish roads have been aged under 30.
Half of those fatally injured in road traffic collisions this year have been the driver, while two-thirds of all fatal collisions involved a single vehicle.
During quarter one of each of the past six years, for passengers and pedestrians, the largest age group for fatal and seriously injured road users were those aged 20 or younger.
In addition, An Garda Síochána has noted an increase in the number of road traffic collisions occurring on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays - with about double the five-year average number of collisions happening on Fridays this year.
Chief superintendent of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau, Jane Humphries said: "What our most recent analysis demonstrates is that there is still some way to go in younger drivers paying heed to our pleas to follow the road traffic laws.
"There is a sense among some that Gardaí are out conducting roads policing duties to catch people, make their lives difficult by adding penalty points to their licences and cost them money in fines. I can tell you that is absolutely not the case."
"No Garda has ever or will ever take satisfaction in responding to a horrific road traffic collision that has caused serious injuries or death.
"Being tasked to call to a home to deliver the worst possible news to a devastated family that their loved one has been killed is something that no Garda ever wishes to do," she added.
According to gardaí, there have been 48 lives been lost on Irish roads to date in 2025.
Gardaí said that every member of An Garda Síochána on-duty this long weekend will be out conducting road traffic enforcement activity but they need the public’s help.
To help ensure that everyone using Irish roads this weekend remain safe, a Garda Roads Policing Operation will be in place.
It got underway at 7:00a.m this morning (Thursday, April 17) and will run until 7:00a.m on Tuesday, April 22,.
