Road safety appeal for summer months

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has appealed for both motorcyclists and car drivers to be aware of each other as they drive during these summer months, taking care especially at junctions and in areas of high traffic flow, writes Trish Whelan.

Already this year, 10 motorcyclists have lost their lives on Irish roads, an increase from seven fatalities during the same period in 2024, and four fatalities during the same period in 2023.

Hospital data from 2019 to 2023 found that 1,556 motorcyclists were hospitalised following road traffic collisions. Of these, almost a third sustained clinically serious injuries which have a higher probability of long-term consequences for the casualty after the collision. A large number of motorcyclists with clinically serious injuries include young male motorcyclists aged 15-34, and nearly half of clinically serious injuries occurred in single-vehicle collisions.

The RSA are advising motorcyclists to wear proper protective gear, to ride within the speed limits and at a speed appropriate for the road and weather conditions; to look carefully, access the road ahead and anticipate potential hazards and other road users as that extra look could be the difference between life or death.