Road traffic collision figures for 2023 show that the number of road deaths increased by 19% compared to 2022, with Galway, Dublin, Mayo, Tipperary and Cork accounting for 40% of fatalities.
A total of 184 people died in 173 fatal collisions in 2023 compared to 155 deaths in 149 collisions in 2022. Of the road deaths in 2023, 13 were in Galway.
The figures were published by the Road Safety Authority on New Year’s Day following an analysis of provisional fatal collision reports from An Garda Síochána.
The majority (78%) of fatalities were male (144), and 22% (40) were female. The number of pedestrian fatalities is slightly higher than 2022 (+1).
Almost half of fatalities occurred between 8pm and 8am, compared with 35% in 2022, despite lower traffic volumes during these hours.
Over a quarter of fatalities were aged 16-25 years, compared with 16% in 2022. Almost half (46%) of fatalities occurred between Friday and Sunday, where known.
There were 34 passenger fatalities in 2023, representing 18% of the total road deaths that occurred in 2023.
Of the 184 road deaths in 2023, 69 were drivers, 44 were pedestrians, 34 were passengers, 26 were motorcyclists, 8 were cyclists and 3 were e-scooter users.
