Road deaths in Galway triple over last year
Galway has recorded more than triple the number of road deaths so far this year compared with 2024’s figure, making it the county with the second-highest road fatalities nationally.
17 people have lost their lives on Galway roads so far this year, four of which have died in road accidents during this past month alone, which is a stark contrast to the five lives lost last year.
These findings were presented in a new report by the national civil society organisation, PARC road safety group, which stands for ‘Promoting Awareness Responsibility and Care on our roads’.
However, Galway is not alone in experiencing a rise in road deaths – with just under two months left in the year, there have been a total of 148 road fatalities across the country in 2025.
According to the report, road deaths have steadily increased since 2018, with Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon and Galway recording the highest rates of death per capita.
With fatalities on the rise, Galway GAA are hosting their annual Wellbeing Conference this Thursday 13 November in partnership with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) on the theme of Road Safety.
The conference will focus on the RSA’s ‘Vision Zero’ campaign, which aims for zero road deaths or injuries on Irish roads by 2050.
Speaking on the partnership, a spokesperson for RSA has said: “Given the high number of road fatalities in Galway this year, this event is both timely and important and we greatly welcome Galway GAA’s leadership on this initiative”.
Statistics on road deaths
Of all fatalities on Irish roads this year, one in three involved people younger than 30.
This fact, along with the RSA’s submission to the government last year which stated that road deaths involving young people aged between 16-25 has almost doubled in the last five years, presents a concerning trend.
Fatalities involving motorcyclists and pedal cyclists have also reached the highest level seen in almost two decades nationwide, comprising almost one in every three road deaths this year.
Additionally, almost half of all road deaths over the past 18 months have involved vulnerable road users of some kind, whether that be pedestrians and cyclists, or bikers and e-scooter users.
Consequently, Galway County Council has encouraged pedestrians and vulnerable road users to wear hi-vis vests on dark evenings, which they provide free of charge under it’s ‘Be Safe, Be Seen’ campaign.
