Motorcycle Safety Campaign

Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable people using Irish roads. This campaign encourages motorists and motorcyclists to take simple, practical actions that can help reduce the risk of a collision. 

The campaign has been informed by collision and serious injury data, research with road users, and extensive consultation with motorcycle safety specialists. 

A data-led approach 

RSA research shows that junctions are a significant risk area for motorcyclists. 

Between 2021 and 2025, 954 motorcyclists, including pillion passengers, were recorded by An Garda Síochána as seriously injured following road traffic collisions. Of these serious injuries: 

• 38% occurred at a junction. 
• 66% involved more than one vehicle.
• In multi-vehicle collisions, the other vehicle involved was most commonly a car.
• Failure to observe was the action most frequently noted for both the other driver and the motorcyclist. 

Earlier RSA research covering the period 2020 to 2024 found that, where a motorcyclist was seriously injured at a junction, the junction was most likely to have been a T-junction. Of the 316 motorcyclists seriously injured at junctions during that period, 173, or 55%, were injured at a T-junction. 

This evidence helped identify the moment when a motorist turns across the path of an approaching motorcycle as an important area of risk. The latest research also found that turning right was the most frequently recorded movement by the other vehicle in multi-vehicle serious injury collisions involving a motorcyclist. 

The research highlights a simple but important issue: a motorist may look at the road without fully registering the approaching motorcyclist. 

Motorcycles are smaller than other vehicles and may be less expected on the road. Their speed and distance can also be more difficult to judge. At a T-junction, a quick or automatic glance may not be enough. 

Figures from 2022 onwards are provisional and subject to change. 

Read more here: Motorcycle Safety Campaign