Increase In Road Deaths Despite Fall In Traffic Levels

The Road Safety Authority says it's very concerned about the sharp rise in road deaths this year.

There have been 11 more deaths on Irish roads this year than during the same period last year,  despite a sharp reduction in the number of cars on the roads due to Covid-19.

In the first 11 months of last year, there were 125 deaths on Irish roads. But during the same period this year, there were 136 deaths.

During the height of the first lockdown, between the end of March and early May, there was 70 per cent fewer vehicles on the road than in the same period in  2019.

While in the last week of November, there were nearly 40 per cent fewer vehicles on the roads in regional locations than during the same week last year.