Organisation: PSNI
Date of publication: December 2020
Date uploaded: 27 January 2021
Provisional figures released by PSNI show that in 2020 there were 56 deaths on roads in Northern Ireland as a result of road traffic collisions. This compares to 56 in 2019 and 55 in 2018.
A total of 492 road users seriously injured until 31 October 2020. This is a decrease from 652 at 31 October 2019. A final total will be confirmed by PSNI in spring 2021.
In 1931 there were 114 road deaths and this number increased over the years before peaking in 1972 at 372 deaths. The number of road deaths then gradually reduced during the late 1970s and the 1980s before levelling off at around 155 deaths per year during the 1990s.
Road deaths then decreased during the 2000s, dropping from 148 fatalities in 2001 to 115 in 2009 before the numbers more than halved in 2010 (55 fatalities) with similar numbers recorded in 2011 (59 fatalities).
The lowest figure of 48 deaths was recorded in 2012, increasing to 57 in 2013, 79 in 2014, 74 in 2015, 68 in 2016, 62 in 2017, and 55 in 2018.
15,078 people have lost their lives on Northern Ireland’s roads since records began in 1931 and 79,547 have suffered serious injuries since serious injuries were first recorded in 1971. (The serious injuries figure does not include 2020 as this will not be confirmed until spring 2021 although it is expected to be several hundred).
Road user fatalities in 2020, by category, are as follows:
Pedestrian 6
Driver 26
Passenger 9
Pedal Cyclist 4
Motorcyclist 8
Pillion Passenger 1
Other Road User 2
TOTAL 56
There were three child (under 16) fatalities recorded in 2020, two more than in 2019 and the same as in 2018.
Below is a snapshot of road death trends at various years from 1931 to present day.
Year – Total
1931 – 114
1945 – 124
1953 – 16
1964 – 219
1969 – 257
1972 – 372
1982 – 216
1990 – 185
2000 – 171
2009 – 115
2010 – 55
2011 – 59
2012 – 48
2013 – 57
2014 – 79
2015 – 74
2016 – 68
2017 – 62
2018 – 55
2019 – 56
2020 – 56
Access the full statistics via the PSNI website:
https://www.psni.police.uk/inside-psni/Statistics/road-traffic-collision-statistics/