41% decrease in Irish Road Policing Unit personnel since 2009 coincides with increased traffic fatalities.

Road safety groups in Ireland have raised concerns over a 41% decrease in Garda Road Policing Unit personnel since 2009, coinciding with an increase in traffic fatalities. The number of RPU officers has fallen from 1,046 to 620, and road safety group Parc founder Susan Gray stated that there is a clear link between RPU numbers, enforcement of road safety regulations, and road safety. Traffic fatalities in Ireland increased by 9% during the first half of 2022, with 123 deaths, and the current rate of fatalities suggests that the country could potentially record 200 deaths by the end of the year, making it the deadliest year on Irish roads in nearly 15 years.

August 23, 2024
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