New RSA Report: 7 Cyclists Killed & 99 Seriously Injured in Cork Over Five Years

A new Road Safety Authority (RSA) report has found that seven cyclists were killed and 99 were seriously injured in Cork between 2021 and 2025, placing Cork as the county with the second highest number of both cyclist fatalities and serious injuries in Ireland.

The RSA's Cyclist Spotlight Report: Fatalities and Serious Injuries 2021–2025, published on 25 May 2026, provides a detailed analysis using data from the Irish Road Traffic Collision Database, based on collision records transferred from An Garda Síochána to the RSA. All figures for 2022 onwards are provisional and subject to change.

Nationally, 49 cyclists were killed and 1,324 were seriously injured over the five-year period. Cyclist fatalities rose over the period, from seven in both 2021 and 2022 to 14 in 2025. For every cyclist fatality recorded during the period, approximately 27 cyclists were seriously injured.

Cork accounted for 14% of cyclist fatalities and 7% of serious injuries nationally, ranking second in both categories behind Dublin, which recorded 33% of fatalities and 52% of serious injuries.

Nationally, cyclists aged 26 to 55 accounted for 55% of serious injuries, while men made up 78% of those seriously injured. Almost four in five seriously injured cyclists (79%) were hurt between 8am and 8pm, with the period from 4pm to 8pm recording the highest proportion at 31%. Serious injuries were also most frequent between Tuesday and Thursday and during the months of May to September.

Nearly half (48%) of all serious cyclist injuries occurred at junctions, with T-junctions and crossroads the most common junction types. The majority of serious injuries (83%) happened on straight roads, and close to three in four (73%) occurred on roads with a speed limit of 50km/h or less.

In terms of collision type, 69% of seriously injured cyclists were involved in multi-vehicle collisions, most commonly with a car or light goods vehicle. A further 20% were injured in single vehicle collisions, while 11% involved a hit-and-run where the other driver failed to remain at the scene.

Michael Rowland, Director at the RSA, said:

"This report provides important insights into the circumstances surrounding serious cyclist injuries and fatalities on Irish roads. The findings underline the need for all road users to remain vigilant and to share the road safely. We know that cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users, particularly in urban environments and at junctions, and these findings will help inform future road safety interventions, education and enforcement activity."

The Spotlight Report follows a separate RSA study published earlier this month, which found that 3,305 pedal cyclists were admitted to hospital with injuries following road traffic collisions between 2020 and 2024, a figure significantly higher than the number of serious injuries recorded by An Garda Síochána over a similar period. The RSA has noted that several factors may explain the discrepancy, including incidents not being reported to An Garda Síochána and differences in how injuries are classified.