Are Irish Roads Getting Deadlier Again in 2026?

Quick answer: Yes, on the latest figures. 151 people had died on Irish roads by 22 October 2026, 12 more than at the same point in 2025, according to a joint appeal by An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority (RSA). That follows 185 deaths on public roads in 2025, up 8% on 2024. Pedestrians account for 29 of the 2026 deaths, and 45 of those killed were under 25.

2026 so far: the count is running ahead of 2025

The October bank holiday appeal from An Garda Síochána and the RSA put the 2026 toll at 151 deaths, 12 more than at the same point in 2025. A month earlier, the RSA told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport that 139 people had died by 23 September 2026, 30 more than in the same period of 2025.

• The RSA's statement to the committee covered 136 deaths on public roads, plus three in public places, making 139 in total.
• Of the 136 deaths on public roads, 54 were drivers and 23 were passengers.
• About 1,000 people had been seriously injured on Irish roads in 2026 by that date.
• Both counts are provisional, recorded by An Garda Síochána, and can be revised as coroners' findings arrive.

The two snapshots are from different dates, so they do not contradict each other. Together they show a year running worse than the one before, not better.

Who is dying in 2026

Young people are heavily over-represented again. Provisional Garda figures reported in October 2026 show that 45 people under the age of 25 have been killed on Irish roads in 2026, up from 32 in the same period of 2025. That is almost a third of all deaths so far this year.

• People aged over 65 accounted for 30 deaths, including 10 of the 29 pedestrians killed this year.
• Dublin recorded the highest number of deaths, at 21, followed by Cork with 13. Meath and Donegal recorded 10 each.
• RSA research published in October 2026 found that, between 2021 and 2025, 189 young drivers aged 17 to 25 were involved in 178 fatal collisions in Ireland, accounting for 19% of all drivers in fatal collisions in that period.

The pattern matches the longer record. Young drivers remain over-represented in fatal collisions, and older pedestrians are among the most vulnerable people on the road. For the full 2023 to 2025 picture, see Are Irish Roads Getting Deadlier? 2023 to 2025 Figures.

Pedestrians and the darker months

Pedestrians are the sharpest concern in the 2026 figures. Of the 151 deaths by 22 October, 29 were pedestrians, or 19% of the total. The RSA's research for 2021 to 2025 shows:

• 178 pedestrians were killed in those five years, an average of 36 a year, and 1,658 were seriously injured.
• Between October and December, 38% of pedestrian deaths and 33% of pedestrian serious injuries happened, the worst quarter of the year.
• Provisional 2026 data shows fatal and serious pedestrian incidents happening mostly in urban areas and often in low visibility.

The RSA warned that pedestrian casualties rise in autumn and winter as daylight fades, and urged drivers to slow down and look out for vulnerable road users. The Garda operation over the October bank holiday weekend, from 22 to 27 October, was aimed at the same risk, with extra enforcement on speeding, drink-driving and drug-driving.

2025 in full: the year that ended the improvement

The 2026 rise follows a bad year. RSA figures published in January 2026 show that 185 people died on public roads in Ireland in 2025, up 8% from 171 in 2024 on the same comparison basis. An Garda Síochána recorded a wider total of 190 deaths, which also includes public places, car parks and other non-public roads.

• The 2025 deaths included 76 drivers, 41 pedestrians, 30 motorcyclists, 21 passengers, 14 pedal cyclists and 3 e-scooter users.
• November (21 deaths) and December (24 deaths) were the worst months of 2025, while February and June were the lowest, with 11 each.
• In 2024, 174 people died in 160 fatal collisions as first reported, down 4% from 181 deaths in 2023. The later comparison series puts 2024 at 171 deaths, so the two 2024 figures reflect revisions, not two different years.
• Between 2021 and 2025, 36 people died on Irish motorways, the RSA told the Oireachtas committee: 15 drivers, 7 passengers, 9 pedestrians and 5 motorcyclists.

Ireland's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 aims to cut deaths to 72 or fewer by 2030. With 185 deaths in 2025, the country is far from that target, and the 2026 figures so far point the wrong way. For comparison, the United Kingdom recorded 1,594 road deaths in 2025. For the live picture in Ireland, see Ireland and all articles.

How these numbers were counted

The 2026 year-to-date figures are provisional counts recorded by An Garda Síochána, reported through the joint Garda and RSA October bank holiday appeal of 22 October 2026 and the RSA's opening statement to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport on 23 September 2026. They are not final totals and can be revised.

Two scopes are used. The RSA public-roads series counts deaths on public roads (185 in 2025). The wider Garda total also includes deaths in public places and car parks (190 in 2025). The 2024 total appears as both 174 (as first reported) and 171 (in the later comparison series) because provisional figures are revised as reports are finalised; comparisons here use one consistent series. The WHO-modelled estimates sometimes shown for Ireland, around 154 deaths a year, are statistical models, not counts, and are not used in this article.

In this story

• Road accidents reported today