Cork second highest for cycling deaths
By Finnian Cox
A recent report on statistics around traffic incidents revealed Cork as the county with the second-highest amount of cyclist collisions. Analysing the years 2021-25, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) report showed there was a total of 49 cyclist killed on Irish roads, while a further 1,324 were seriously injured.
Of the 49 fatalities, 7 took place on roads in Cork, making up 14% of the overall figure. This places the county as the second highest in Ireland, behind Dublin’s 16 (33%).
The same trend applied to the ‘serious injuries’ stats, with Cork again the second highest with 99 cases reported (7%).
Dublin is responsible for over half of the reports with 694 incidents (52%) over the years surveyed, while Galway and Limerick are tied in 3rd place with 53 cases apiece. The report highlighted the vulnerability of cyclists, who made up 6% of fatalities on the road and 17% of injuries. It found that 43% of the fatalities were aged between the ages of 56 and 74, and that they were overwhelmingly (84%) male.
It also found that over the years surveyed, the number of fatalities has steadily increased, while the numbers of serious injuries reported was declining by 2024, but increased by 52 the following year.
The survey collects data from the Irish Road Traffic Collision database, which sees An Garda Síochána logging any incidents they attend. Serious injuries are defined in the report as fractures, concussion, internal injuries, crushing, severe cuts and lacerations and severe general shock requiring medical treatment.
Michael Rowland, Director at the RSA, said: “This report provides important insights into the circumstances surrounding serious cyclist injuries and fatalities on Irish roads. The findings underline the need for all road users to remain vigilant and to share the road safely. We know that cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users, particularly in urban environments and at junctions, and these findings will help inform future road safety interventions, education and enforcement activity.”
The publication of the Spotlight Report follows the release earlier this month of a separate RSA study incorporating hospital data.
That study found that between 2020 and 2024, 3,305 pedal cyclists were admitted to hospital with injuries following road traffic collisions — significantly higher than the number of serious injuries recorded by An Garda Síochána over a similar period.