New research unveiled by the Irish Road Safety Authority (RSA) has revealed that alcohol is a major factor in road traffic fatalities between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (off-peak).

Now, the RSA and Garda Síochána are calling on road users to never drink and drive and to reduce their speed at all times.

“Driving during off-peak hours presents its own risks,” said Shane Ross, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. “However, the same advice applies regardless of when you are on the road – you need to slow down, belt up, don’t use the phone while driving, never drink and drive, or drive while fighting sleep behind the wheel. I would urge all drivers to consider their behaviour not just this Bank Holiday weekend but every time they use the road whether that is midday or midnight.”

The RSA analysis looked at off-peak fatal collisions over a five-year period (2014-2018), to highlight when and where off-peak collisions are occurring, and to review the road user profile of those killed late at night and in the early hours of the morning.

Key findings:

  • Seven in ten fatal collisions occurring during off peak hours, not involving pedestrians, were single vehicle collisions, meaning no other car was involved.
  • Men are over-represented in off-peak fatalities making up 87 percent of drivers, 73 percent of passengers and 87 percent of pedestrians killed on Irish roads between 10pm and 6am.
  • The age profile of drivers and passengers killed during off-peak hours is considerably younger than those killed during peak hours – 37 percent of drivers killed during off-peak hours were aged under 25, and almost half (47 percent) were aged 25-44, 61 percent of passengers killed during off-peak hours were aged 18-24.

“Despite traffic volumes being at their lowest, 27 percent of fatal collisions and 17 percent of serious injury collisions occurred during off peak hours,” said Moyagh Murdock, CEO, Road Safety Authority. “Road traffic collisions that happen late at night and into the early hours differ in key ways to those that happen during the day in two respects: young males are overrepresented and 75 percent of fatalities had a positive toxicology for alcohol. Continued education and enforcement are needed to target those most vulnerable groups namely young male drivers, young male passengers and male pedestrians.”