The number of young people dying on Irish roads has increased by nearly half this year, according to new data from An Garda Síochána.
Young people between 16 and 25 years of age now make up a quarter of all fatalities after a new surge in road deaths.
So far this year, 38 young people have died on Irish roads, a 46.2 per cent increase on the 26 fatalities in that age group last year.
The provisional Garda data, accurate to Thursday morning, showed there have been 151 roads deaths so far this year, 12 more than in the same period of 2025.
There has only been a slight increase in the number of fatalities this year, just six higher than last year, at 134, but there has been a rise in the number of multiple-fatality crashes.
The wrong-way driving crash on the M9 in August was the most fatal incident. The two-car collision killed five teenagers – Kamil Pustkowski (17), Jack Kennedy (17), Jeremy O’Brien (18), Joe “Joey” Carthy (15) and Alex McCarthy (17) as they were driving the wrong way along the motorway in Co Kildare.
The force said that following high-profile crashes, the rate of fatal incidents tended to decrease.
In July and August, 21 and 22 people died respectively, though September saw just 14 deaths.
Just nine people have died this month so far and the Garda is appealing to the public to pay increased attention to pedestrians in the darker months of the year.
With the clocks going back on Sunday less daylight hours are linked to increased pedestrian deaths and injuries, Road Safety Authority data shows.
“As the long evenings draw in, we’re asking all road users to be mindful of each other over the October bank holiday weekend,” Garda roads policing assistant commissioner Denis Ferry said on Thursday.
“Motorists need to be aware of those walking on our streets and roads, and pedestrians should make sure they’re visible, especially as daylight time decreases.”
The number of pedestrians killed in crashes is the same as last year, at 29, with people over 65 making up the largest share of this cohort.
The 151 deaths so far this year are predominantly drivers and their passengers, some 54 per cent of all fatalities – 57 drivers and 26 passengers. Driver deaths increased by two from 2025, but the number of passengers more than doubled from 10 to 26.
There has been a moderate improvement in the number of motorcyclists killed, which has fallen from 28 last year to 22 so far in 2026.
Pedal cyclists (13), e-scooter and ebike deaths (4) and a single uncategorised death make up the remaining fatalities.
A crackdown on Wednesday saw the Garda seize 122 e-scooters, e-bikes, scramblers and Surron bikes.