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| Pic by Yavuz Kosar via Pexels. |
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has published a new “Cyclist Spotlight Report: Fatalities and Serious Injuries” document examining cyclist casualties on Irish roads between 2021 and 2025, writes Brian Byrne. The report is based on data from the Irish Road Traffic Collision Database.
The document shows that over half (55%) of cyclists seriously injured were aged 26–55, and that men accounted for 78% of serious injuries. Most serious injuries (79%) occurred between 8 am and 8pm, with the peak period between 4pm and 8pm. High proportions were also recorded between Tuesday and Thursday and from May to September.
Dublin accounted for 52% of all serious cyclist injuries over the period. Nearly half (48%) of serious injuries happened at junctions, while 83% occurred on straight roads. In terms of collision type, 69% of seriously injured cyclists were involved in multiple-vehicle collisions, most commonly with a car or light goods vehicle. Single-vehicle collisions accounted for 20% of serious injuries, and hit-and-run incidents for 11%.
The report follows a separate RSA study using hospital data, which found that 3,305 cyclists were admitted to hospital between 2020 and 2024 after road traffic collisions — a figure significantly higher than serious injury numbers recorded by An Garda Síochána. The RSA says underreporting and differences in injury classification may explain the gap between hospital and Garda data.
