Ten counties have already reached or exceeded last year's death toll on roads

Ten counties in Ireland have already seen road deaths reach or exceed last year's figure, with just under nine months of the year gone. 

Road fatalities in Tipperary, Mayo, Galway, and Westmeath have increased by more than 100%. 

Deaths on Irish roads have reached 130 for the first nine months of the year. There has been an alarming rise in the number of young drivers, pedestrians and passengers killed in road tragedies in 2023.

Of those deaths, the road safety organisation PARC estimates that 46 of those were aged between 3 and 25. 

The level of road fatalities has prompted a national speed limit review with urban areas and secondary roads expected to see their speed limits lowered. 

The rate of deaths on Irish roads is now at its highest in six years.

According to figures compiled by the Irish Independent the rate of road fatalities is 24% higher than for the same period last year.

Tipperary has seen 14 deaths in the county so far this year, double the figure of 7 in 2022, and higher than the 10 deaths in 2021. 

There have been 12 deaths on county roads in Galway this year, a 100% increase on last year’s death toll.

The highest percentage increase was recorded in Mayo, where there were five deaths in 2022 but 11 so far in 2023. 

Cork has already recorded 10 road deaths so far this year. It had 14 recorded road deaths in 2022.

Offaly had zero deaths in 2021, 4 in 2022 and 6 so far in 2023. 

Carlow had zero road deaths in 2021 and 2022, but has seen three people die on roads in the county so far in 2023. 

Limerick had 10 deaths in 2022, with a lower figure of 4 so far in 2023. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar recently said that Ireland is going backwards in terms of road safety. 

He said they want to see "people being safe on the road, driving within speed limits, not using mobile phone while driving, which is extremely dangerous, and not using drugs or alcohol while driving".

"And the main message I think we need to put across to people is that we’ve gone backwards in terms of road safety.

"A terrible number of people have lost their lives on our roads this year, particularly young people.

"It really is heartbreaking.

"I think one thing we’ll have to reiterate is a very strong public advertising campaign.

"I know a lot of people didn’t like those shock ads of the past but I do think they were effective.

"And we haven’t seen them for quite some time.

"And there is going to be renewed political focus and renewed political impetus on the whole road safety issue," the Taoiseach said.