Northern Ireland road accident fatalities up in 2019

To date there have been 22 deaths on Northern Ireland’s roads in 2019, an increase from 16 reported at the same time in 2018.

As with previously reported statistics, the same unsettling patterns have emerged:

• There have been significantly more male fatalities than female, with the report showing 14 male casualties compared to 8 female.
• Drivers of vehicles involved in a road collision represent the largest group of fatalities with 11 drivers losing their lives.
• After drivers, the next largest group of fatalities is pedestrians, with 6 pedestrian deaths compared to 4 passengers and 1 motorcyclist.
• 68% of road deaths in 2019 have occurred in rural areas, against 32% in urban areas. Deaths on motorways and dual carriageways are down from this point in 2018.

These increases come despite strengthened campaign vigilance from the PSNI and road safety campaigners, and illustrate that there is still more to be done if we are to achieve the goal of getting the number of those lost on our roads to zero. They further highlight that road safety is not just an issue for motorists, as pedestrians are demonstrably more likely to be the victim of a road traffic collision than the passenger of the vehicle involved.

While the increases outlined above are distressing, road deaths have been decreasing year on year for some years now, and the efforts of campaigners across Northern Ireland mean that an overall decrease in 2019 against 2018 is still entirely possible.

While the statistics look at fatalities, there are also hundreds of victims of road traffic accidents that suffer serious injuries that seriously challenge how they go about their daily lives. While they can of course claim for compensation which will help cover the cost of medical treatment and adjustments to their home, car and in other areas of their lives, many will lose the ability to do hobbies and sports that they loved, to perform the role at work that they were doing previously, or suffer with other limitations in their daily life.

If you have suffered injury or loss as a result of a road traffic accident in Northern Ireland and want to speak to a compensation claims solicitor in Belfast, click here and a member of our team in will be in touch at a time of your convenience.