THIRD IN E.U. FOR RURAL DEATHS
IRELAND has the third highest level of deaths on rural roads in the EU with more than two-thirds of all fatalities occurring outside built-up areas and motorways.
A new report by the European Transport Safety Council shows 67% of all road deaths in the state between 2020 and 2022 were on rural roads compared to an EU average of 52% over the same period.
Only Finland and Sweden have a higher proportion of all fatalities on rural roads.
The ETSC report also revealed that average speeds on rural roads in Ireland have been increasing in recent years at a time when reductions in average speeds have been observed on similar roads in many other EU member states including France and Austria.
The report showed that around 10,000 people were killed on rural roads excluding motorways in the EU in 2022.
It also highlighted that just 22% of motorists in Ireland were travelling within the speed limit on rural roads with a 50km/h limit in 2022 with the compliance rate increasing to 75% on rural roads with a 100km/h limit.
The ETSC said local and national authorities should also take into account the increasing use of e-bikes in rural areas when planning investment on road safety measures.
ETSC project manager Jenny Carson said rural roads were being made safer with interventions that do not need to be costly.
She said they included road safety audits, analysis and subsequent treatment of high-risk sites, setting and enforcing appropriate speed limits.
Ms Carson added: “It is critically important that policymakers don’t forget rural roads are where half of road deaths occur.”