L’UE aveva una media di 46 morti per il traffico stradale per milione di abitanti nel 2023; 34 in Irlanda

The figure for the U.K. is 26, but NI is the worst region within it at around 35.

These statistics cover up a much more disturbing trend – that increasingly, due to the rise of SUVs, it is mainly innocent bystanders – pedestrians, cyclists, motorcylists, that are now being killed by vehicles. It used to be that bad drivers killed themselves, now they kill kids and grannies.

And yet if you were to heed the hysterical “If it bleeds it leads” reportage from our click obsessed “journalists” you’d swear driving in Ireland was akin to IRL Simpsons Hit and Run 

The facts remains we have amongst the safest roads in Europe (and by extension, the world). 

That’s not to say that improvements cannot still be made, but it does show up the unnecessary knee jerk “seen to be doing something” actions that the recent speed limit reductions were. 

That’s just Waterford.