Road users urged to take care after 68 deaths recorded in 2024

Police, campaigners and the Stormont Executive are calling for the public to be extra vigilant when using the roads.

It comes after figures show that 68 people were killed in road tragedies in 2024. With a total of nine lives claimed in December alone.

Davy Jackson from the charity Road Safe NI said: "That is 68 families who have lost loved ones. Families that will never be the same again.

"Every anniversary, every Christmas that will come back and impact these people. The implications are just horrendous."

Those involved in promoting road safety are keen to stress the importance of awareness around the so-called 'fatal five'.

"Drink or drug driving, careless driving, failing to wear a seatbelt and distracted driving using a mobile phone.

"If everyone would avoid those, there would be a lot less collisions on our roads. I would ask everyone to be careful whether they are walking, cycling or driving.

"Whatever you are doing, take responsibility for your own road safety and the safety of others around you", Mr Jackson said.

The police have said that there has been an increase in elderly victims and that more crashes are happening in rural areas. Inspector Cherith Adair, from the Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Traditionally, we would have seen a lot of fatals and road traffic collisions involving younger or more inexperienced drivers.

"This year we are seeing the same collisions involving elderly drivers and very elderly drivers that we would not have seen in previous years."The border corridor would be where we see a lot of fatalities. A lot of rural collisions, very serious injuries, as well as fatalities.

"Not so much in an urban environment, which you may expect with the volume of traffic in our cities.

"Our statistics would show more of a rural driving problem."The PSNI stressed that behind every figure and every fatality is a family left devastated. "Every single one of these fatalities leaves a family devastated by a shocking and unexpected death.

"Unless it happens to you I do not think that anyone can understand the devastation of that," Inspector Adair said. In his annual road safety report, Infrastructure John O'Dowd expressed his condolences to the families of those who died on Northern Ireland's roads in 2024.

The Minister for Infrastructure encouraged the public to spread road safety messaging and talk about road safety with family and friends in the hope that 2025 will be a better year.

“As 2025 begins, I appeal to everyone to think about your behaviour when using the roads. Make a potentially lifesaving choice to be more mindful of others and proceed with care, follow the rules of the road – they are there to protect us and help everyone get home safe.

“As we start a new year, the harsh truth is that we all need to wise up when we are using our roads because if we don’t the number of deaths will continue to rise.”Catch up with the latest UTV Live on ITVX

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