Ireland drops to ninth place in European road fatality rankings

Ireland has dropped three places in European road fatality rankings and is now in danger of slipping out of the top 10 safest countries following a period of mounting death rates.

Latest annual progress data compiled for 2023 by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) shows Ireland is now positioned ninth from 32 countries, including the UK and other non-EU states, down from sixth in 2022.

Ireland’s fatality rate is in a group of seven countries below or equal to 35 deaths per million. While still beneath the EU average of 46, the trend is now firmly moving in the wrong direction.

By the end of May, 79 people had been killed on Irish roads, eight more than during the same period in 2023. As of Thursday morning, that figure had risen to 88.

Broader Europe-wide trends outlined in the 2023 ETSC Road Safety Performance Index (Pin) report also reflect poorly on Ireland’s overall performance.

Since 2019 – the baseline year for the EU’s 2030 target of halving road death rates – 20 countries recorded a reduction in fatalities as of last year while 11 saw rates climb.

“Notably, Ireland experienced a surge of 32 per cent, while Switzerland saw an increase of 26 per cent,” the report noted. “Collectively, the EU27 achieved a decrease of road deaths of 10 per cent in 2023 relative to 2019.”

Poland and Cyprus, by comparison, lead the way with decreases of 35 per cent.

Last year there were 20,418 deaths on EU roads, an annual decrease of 1 per cent – far short of the 6.1 per cent needed to achieve the EU’s 2030 target.

Of the 32 countries included in the report, including non-EU nations, Norway was deemed the safest for road users with 20 road deaths per million inhabitants, followed by Sweden with 22. The highest mortality rate was found in Bulgaria at 82 and Romania at 81.

Among several recommendations set out to individual governments, the ETSC appealed for the adoption of “proven traffic law enforcement strategies” and the provision of “sufficient government funds” to back target-orientated measures.

Earlier this year, The Irish Times reported that the Department of Transport had declined a €6 million funding request from the Road Safety Authority to hire additional staff as part of an expansion of its media campaigns.

The ETSC compiles its reports to measure progress in road safety improvement across Europe.

Between 2014 and 2023, the EU “prevented” almost 21,000 deaths compared to a hypothetical alternative scenario where each member state maintained the same number of fatalities as in 2013.

“However, it’s important to note that an additional 52,754 lives could have been saved if the annual reduction of 6.7 per cent required to achieve the 50 per cent reduction target within a decade had been consistently reached,” it said.

Simultaneously tracked data on serious injuries has shown a reduction in 22 of 30 countries over the decade to 2023. In 24 EU member states, serious road traffic injuries were reduced by 10 per cent on average over the same period.

The RSA welcomed the latest report, in particular its recommendations for continued European focus on safety, speed management and enforcement.

“We will continue to consult with our EU colleagues to learn from them in terms of successful policy implementation to inform our evidence-based approach,” Michael Rowland, the RSA’s director of road safety and research, said.

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