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A newly released Child Casualties Report, unveiled by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) on Child Safety Day, has shed light on the tragic reality of children killed or seriously injured on Irish roads. The report, which covers the years 2014 to 2022, analyzed data from the RSA collision database and relied on collision records transferred from An Garda Síochána to the RSA. This publication is part of Irish Road Safety Week 2023, aimed at increasing awareness and promoting road safety.
Between 2014 and 2022, the report reveals that 56 fatalities occurred among children aged 0-15 years, with an additional 852 children seriously injured. This grim data represents 4% of total fatalities and 8% of total serious injuries on Irish roads (see Tables 1 and 2). Among these 908 children who were killed or seriously injured, 51% were pedestrians, 28% were passengers, and 18% were cyclists (see Table 3).
Key findings from the report include:
- Urban Roads and Speed Limits: A staggering 67% of child casualties occurred on urban roads with speed limits of 60km/h or less.
- Regional Variations: Dublin and Cork saw the highest numbers of child casualties.
- Vulnerable Road Users: Since 2014, at least three in five children killed or seriously injured were classified as vulnerable road users. In 2022, this figure rose to three in four child casualties (see Table 4).
Sam Waide, CEO of the RSA, expressed deep concern over the report’s findings, stating:
“This report reveals concerning trends: Children are among our most vulnerable road users, and they are less able to protect themselves from traffic hazards. They are at a high risk of being injured or killed on our roads. We are particularly concerned because we have also noted an increase in child fatalities in 2023.”
Waide emphasized the importance of exercising caution and responsibility when driving near places where children are likely to be present, such as schools, playgrounds, and residential streets. He also stressed the need for motorists to slow down, observe carefully, and share the roads safely with children, particularly in urban areas where the risk is higher.
Furthermore, the report highlights the significance of addressing road safety on rural roads, especially for child passengers. Reducing speed, avoiding driving under the influence, eliminating driver distractions, and ensuring the use of seatbelts and child car seats are vital measures to protect children on Irish roads.
Child Safety Day, occurring during Irish Road Safety Week, aims to educate parents and children on road safety measures. This includes wearing high-visibility materials while walking or cycling, using helmets and bike lights when cycling, and ensuring the use of seatbelts or appropriate restraints when traveling by car or bus.
As part of “Beep Beep Day” in September, an initiative focused on engaging with creches and pre-schools to support children and their families, pre-schools ordered “Beep Beep packs” on the RSA website. These packs, distributed on Child Safety Day, include over 40,000 high-visibility vests and age-appropriate road safety activities designed to foster lifelong road safety learning.
For more information on the RSA’s education programs and initiatives, including the RSA Shuttle and RSA Street Smart scape, visit the RSA Education Newsletter. The RSA encourages booking requests from the public and schools to optimize education outcomes for children.
In a concerning statistic for 2023, 139 people have already lost their lives on Irish roads, marking a significant increase of 26 fatalities compared to the same period last year. Furthermore, the number of children aged 0-15 years killed on Irish roads in 2023 has reached 12, compared to 5 in all of 2022.
The Child Casualties Report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to prioritize road safety for children in Ireland and to take collective action to make roads safer for all, especially our most vulnerable road users, our children.
Reference Tables (2014-2022)
Fatalities and serious injuries
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Between 2014 and 2022, there were 56 fatalities aged 0-15 years and 852 seriously injured road users aged 0-15 years. This age group represented 4% of total fatalities, and 8% of total serious injuries during this time period (see Tables 1 and 2). Of all road users killed and seriously injured during this time, 8% were aged 0-15 years. Table 1 Fatalities aged 0-15 years, 2014-2022 |
*Table 1 & 2
| Table 1 Fatalities aged 0-15 years, 2014-2022 | |||||||||
| Fatalities | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Aged 0-15 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| % total | 8% | 2% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| Fatalities | 192 | 162 | 182 | 154 | 135 | 140 | 147 | 136 | 157 |
Figures for 2020 onwards are provisional and subject to change.
| Table 2 Serious injuries aged 0-15 years, 2014-2022 | |||||||||
| Serious injuries | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Aged 0-15 | 68 | 75 | 81 | 88 | 87 | 134 | 100 | 105 | 114 |
| % Total | 9% | 9% | 8% | 8% | 6% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 8% |
| Serious injuries | 759 | 827 | 965 | 1053 | 1359 | 1506 | 1145 | 1360 | 1425 |
Figures for 2020 onwards are provisional and subject to change.
| Table 3 Killed and seriously injured road users aged 0-15 years, 2014-2022 | ||
| Road User | n | % |
| Driver | 13 | 1% |
| Passenger | 250 | 28% |
| Motorcyclist | 18 | 2% |
| Pedal cyclist | 166 | 18% |
| Pedestrian | 461 | 51% |
| Total | 908 | 100% |
Figures for 2020 onwards are provisional and subject to change.
| Table 4 Killed and seriously injured road users aged 0-15 years by Road User Type, 2014-2022 (%) | |||||||||
| Aged 0-15 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Vehicle occupants | 29% | 28% | 31% | 30% | 36% | 33% | 24% | 27% | 24% |
| Vulnerable road users | 71% | 72% | 69% | 70% | 64% | 67% | 76% | 73% | 76% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Figures for 2020 onwards are provisional and subject to change. Vulnerable road users include motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.
| Table 4C: Killed and seriously injured road users aged 0-15 years by county, 2014-2022 | ||
| County | Number | % Total |
| Carlow | 12 | 1% |
| Cavan | 13 | 1% |
| Clare | 16 | 2% |
| Cork | 93 | 10% |
| Donegal | 29 | 3% |
| Dublin | 276 | 30% |
| Galway | 57 | 6% |
| Kerry | 20 | 2% |
| Kildare | 51 | 6% |
| Kilkenny | 11 | 1% |
| Laois | 15 | 2% |
| Leitrim | 5 | 1% |
| Limerick | 38 | 4% |
| Longford | 8 | 1% |
| Louth | 23 | 3% |
| Mayo | 28 | 3% |
| Meath | 37 | 4% |
| Monaghan | 12 | 1% |
| Offaly | 15 | 2% |
| Roscommon | 12 | 1% |
| Sligo | 3 | <1% |
| Tipperary | 35 | 4% |
| Waterford | 24 | 3% |
| Westmeath | 22 | 2% |
| Wexford | 27 | 3% |
| Wicklow | 26 | 3% |
| Total | 908 | 100% |
Figures for 2020 onwards are provisional and subject to change.