RSA Spotlight Report Reveals Concerning Rise in Motorcyclist Fatalities

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has today published its latest Motorcyclist Spotlight Report: Fatalities and Serious Injuries 2021–2025, highlighting the significant risks faced by motorcyclists on Irish roads and the urgent need for all road users to share the road safely.

The report shows that between 2021 and 2025; 117 motorcyclists lost their lives and a further 954 were seriously injured in road traffic collisions. This equates to an average of 23 motorcyclist fatalities and 191 serious injuries every year over the five-year period.

Motorcyclists accounted for 14% of all road fatalities and 12% of all serious injuries during this time. For every motorcyclist killed, approximately eight others suffered serious injuries.

Of particular concern, 2025 recorded the highest number of motorcyclist fatalities (30) since 2007, when 33 motorcyclists were killed.

The report identifies several key trends:

• The largest proportion of motorcyclist fatalities occurred among those aged 46–55 years (26 fatalities, 22%), closely followed by those aged 16–25 years (25 fatalities, 21%).
• Of the 117 motorcyclists killed, 116 were male and one was female.
• More than one-third of fatalities (37%) occurred between 1pm and 5pm.
• Almost half of all motorcyclist fatalities (46%) occurred at weekends, on Saturday and Sunday.
• Dublin recorded the highest number of motorcyclist fatalities (22), followed by Cork (11) and Wicklow (9).
• One-quarter of motorcyclists were killed at junctions.
• Nearly two-thirds of fatalities (64%) involved a collision with another vehicle.

The report also highlights trends among seriously injured motorcyclists:

• Four in five seriously injured motorcyclists were aged between 16 and 55 years.
• Ninety-two per cent of those seriously injured were male.
• Two-thirds of casualties were injured in multiple vehicle collisions, in which “failure to observe” was the most frequently noted action for the motorcyclist and the other driver.
• The majority of injuries were sustained on a straight road (70%).Two-thirds of casualties were injured between 12pm and 8pm, with Sunday being the most dangerous day (22%).
• June recorded the highest number of serious injuries, accounting for 14% (132) of all serious injuries.

Nuala Carey, Interim Director of Partnerships and External Affairs at the RSA, said, “The increase in motorcyclist fatalities in 2025 is deeply concerning and highlights the need for all road users to remain vigilant and responsible. We are urging drivers to take a second look before pulling out, changing lanes or turning. Motorcyclists also have a responsibility to ride safely, stay visible and anticipate potential hazards. If we all look out for one another and share the road safely, we can help prevent further tragedies.”

The Motorcyclist Spotlight Report: Fatalities and Serious Injuries 2021–2025 was prepared using data from the Irish Road Traffic Collision Database, based on collision records transferred from An Garda Síochána to the RSA. All information for the years 2022 onwards is provisional and subject to change.

The report follows the publication in April of the RSA’s report Serious Injuries Among Motorcyclists. This uses data from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Database (2020–2024), which is based on hospital discharge information from Irish acute hospitals. The hospital data includes all casualties who were admitted to hospital as in-patients on an emergency basis, with at least one injury from a road traffic collision.