Road safety is an issue which impacts families in every county in Ireland. The current government strategy on road safety set an ambitious target in 2021 of a 50% reduction in road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.[1]

However, there has actually been an upward trend in road deaths with 2025 being the worst year for such deaths since 2014[2], with An Garda Síochána recording 179 fatal collisions which resulted in 190 lives lost on Irish public roads and in public places.[3] Alcohol is a critical factor in road safety with alcohol involved in a third of driver deaths in Ireland. 1in 8 drivers admit to drink driving in the past year - that’s around 380,000 people. Meanwhile Ireland has the lowest level of roadside breath testing in the EU, with only 5,007 drink drivers caught in 2024[4]. Addressing drink driving must be a priority.

Key facts:

• Alcohol is involved in over a third of driver deaths on our roads.
• One in eight drivers admit to drink driving - that’s around 380,000 people a year.
• Ireland has the lowest level of roadside breath testing in the EU - only 5,007 arrests for drink driving were made in 2024.
• There are cumbersome procedures around the collection of blood samples following collisions leading some offenders to evade detection.
• 37% of prosecutions for drink driving do not succeed in court.[5]

This report collates relevant national and international data and puts forward a series of recommendations.

It must also be acknowledged that Ireland's heavy drinking environment is part of the picture and addressing this must form part of the solution.