16 motorcyclist deaths this year as RSA launches new safety campaign

Kenneth Fox

16 motorcyclists have lost their lives on the roads so far this year.

The Road Safety Authority is launching a new safety campaign, calling on drivers to take an extra moment to look out for motorbikes when emerging from junctions.

It is drawing particular attention to situations where a driver approaches a T-junction and prepares to join a road.

Motorcyclists remain one of the most vulnerable groups on the roads and are disproportionately represented in serious and fatal road traffic collisions.

An RSA report shows that 954 motorcyclists were seriously injured on Irish roads between 2021 and 2025.

Two-thirds (66 per cent) of those serious injuries occurred in collisions involving another vehicle, while failure to observe was the most frequently recorded action in those multi-vehicle collisions.

More than one third (38 per cent) of motorcyclists were seriously injured at junctions.

The campaign forms part of the RSA's ongoing work to improve motorcycle safety and has been developed through analysis of collision data, behavioural research and consultation with motorcycle safety specialists.

Nuala Carey, interim director partnerships and external Affairs, at the RSA said: "Every driver knows the routine when they arrive at a junction. You look right, you look left and when you think the road is clear, you pull out. But what appears to be a clear road can quickly change when an approaching motorcycle has not been seen.

"Motorcycles are smaller, narrower and less visually prominent than other vehicles.

"They can also approach at speeds that make them harder to detect and assess at a glance, particularly at a T-junction when a driver is making a quick decision about whether it is safe to proceed.

"Our research tells us that serious collisions involving motorcyclists happen when another vehicle is involved and that failure to observe is the most commonly recorded action in those collisions. That is why this campaign focuses on one simple but potentially life-saving behaviour: before pulling out, take one extra look."

The RSA is reminding all drivers that as the summer continues there may be increased numbers of motorcyclists on our roads.

By slowing down, paying attention and taking an extra moment to look carefully at junctions, every road user can play a part.