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On this month’s Crimecall Garda Adrian Corcoran was in studio discussing pedestrian safety/road fatalities and to offer safety advice to all road users. 

Review of 2022 Road Deaths and Pedestrian Safety

A total of 156 people died in 150 fatal road collisions in 2022, compared to 137 deaths in 124 fatal road collisions in 2021. This represents an increase of 18 deaths or a 13% rise in road fatalities compared to 2021.

There were 42 pedestrians killed in fatal collisions in 2022, over double the number killed in 2021, (which was 20). Cork (13), Dublin (13) and Limerick (10) recorded the highest number of fatalities by county (23% of total).

Over a half (52%) of fatalities occurred between Friday and Sunday.

A fifth (20%) of fatalities occurred between 4pm and 6pm.

1,292 people were seriously injured in collisions.

2022 saw a rise in fatalities on our roads. The most worrying statistic from these figures is the number of pedestrians that lost their lives on our roads in 2022.

2022 Fatalities per Road User:

Pedestrian Safety

On the October 24th Crimecall last year we spoke about pedestrian safety and at that time 22 pedestrians had lost the lives. In the 10 weeks from that programme until the end of 2022 a further 20 pedestrians were killed. We also spoke about the fact that October to January is the high risk period for pedestrian deaths with the majority occurring during the hours of darkness. We are still at a time of year where we have dark mornings and evenings so I would ask pedestrians to ensure that they are visible to other road users. 

Appeal

• l Stop, look and listen
• l Don’t try to cross the road between parked cars
• l If possible, cross at a pedestrian crossing or traffic lights
• l Never cross at a bend
• l If there is a footpath use it
• l If there is no footpath, walk/run/jog on the right hand side of the road, facing oncoming traffic and keeping as close as possible to the side of the road
• l Walk no more than two abreast and if the road is narrow or there is heavy traffic, walk in single file

As a pedestrian, you are one of the most vulnerable road users. So it’s important that you practice good road safety and take personal responsibility in keeping yourself and others safe on our roads. More than two thirds of fatal pedestrian collisions happen at night. Although you can hear a car coming and see its lights, the driver may not see you, and certainly won’t hear you.

To protect yourself make sure you;

• l Always wear a pair of reflective armbands, high-visibility belt or other reflective or fluorescent clothing which will help you to be seen from a distance
• l Carry a torch on country roads 

High-visibility vests are free to order from RSA.ie

Hi-Viz clothing works by distinguishing the wearer from the visual clutter by means of being brighter through fluorescence, or by increasing night time visibility through the use of reflective stripes and markings.

Hi-Viz clothing is a passive safety measure, which is shown in lab studies to increase the distance at which a person or object is noticed by an observer.

Driver Advice

Drivers account for 39% of the total fatalities in 2022 with 61 deaths. There are 4 leading driver behaviours which are a factor in the majority of fatal collisions. Known as lifesaver offences they are, speeding, mobile phone use, seatbelt offences and driving while intoxicated.

During 2022 An Garda Síochána detected 165,115 speeding offences, 5862 detected not wearing a seatbelt, 18399 drivers detected holding a mobile phone and 8064 arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated through drink or drugs or a combination of both (5346 drink driving/2718 drug driving).

Speeding is the biggest contributing factor to road deaths in Ireland, it’s a factor in one third of all fatal collisions.

The higher the speed, the greater the likelihood of a collision happening. We are asking people to slow down and always drive within the speed limits.

Where it was possible to establish the use of a seatbelt or not among drivers killed in 2022, a total of 19% were found not to have been wearing a seatbelt.

Our advice is to everyone, whether driving or a passenger, please ensure that you are wearing your seat belt before you set off.

Seat belts dramatically reduce the risk of death and serious injury in the event of a collision.

Statistics show that making a call makes a driver 4 times more likely to be involved in a collision and texting makes a driver a staggering 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision.

Simply holding a mobile phone in your hand is an offence, you don’t have to be on a call.

Driving while intoxicated continues to be a problem on Irish roads. I would appeal to people to;

• Never, ever drink / drug drive
• Book a taxi or use public transport
• Nominate a ‘designated driver’
• Make sure you are alcohol free the next morning 

With the introduction of the new drug testing device we expect the number of road side drug tests to greatly increase during 2023. We will also continue to test people for the presence of alcohol on the roadside. Please ensure that you don’t get behind the wheel while intoxicated from drink or drugs.