Older pedestrians are at greatest risk of fatalities on Irish roads, with the highest number of pedestrian fatalities recorded for those aged 75 and over, according to preliminary research findings published by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

Released to coincide with Irish Road Safety Week, the findings reveals that one in two pedestrians killed on the roads had consumed alcohol. Just over half of these pedestrians had a blood alcohol concentration that was more than four times the legal driving limit.

The research examined pedestrian fatalities over an eight-year period (2008-2015) on Irish roads. It found that the majority of pedestrian fatalities took place in darkness and, of pedestrians killed in the hours of darkness, 98 percent were not wearing any high-visibility clothing.

The findings were unveiled at the RSA’s Annual Academic Road Safety Lecture, the first in a series of events taking place during Irish Road Safety Week.

Speaking at the conference, Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the RSA, said: “Over the last decade, there has been a 60 percent reduction in the number of pedestrians dying on our roads. Despite this further progress has to be made as one in five people killed on the roads is a pedestrian. Pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable of our road users and today’s research findings will help us understand the factors which contribute to unnecessary pedestrian deaths.â€