RSA Report Reveals Scale of Cyclist Injuries on Irish Roads

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has published a new report revealing the extent of serious injuries sustained by cyclists on Irish roads, alongside plans to launch a national survey to better understand the circumstances behind such collisions.

Published today, 15 May 2026, to coincide with Bike Week, the RSA's Serious Injuries Among Cyclists report draws on both An Garda Síochána collision data and hospital admissions data to examine characteristics and trends associated with serious cyclist injuries across Ireland.

Between 2021 and 2025, An Garda Síochána recorded 1,324 cyclists as seriously injured following road traffic collisions. Men accounted for 78% of those injured, while women accounted for 22%. More than half of all serious cyclist injuries, 52%, occurred in Dublin. The highest annual figure was recorded in 2021, when 314 cyclists were seriously injured.

Hospital data paints a broader picture. Between 2020 and 2024, 3,305 pedal cyclists were admitted to hospital with injuries following road traffic collisions, significantly higher than the Garda-recorded figure for a similar period. The RSA notes several factors may explain this gap, including incidents not being reported to Gardaí or differences in how injuries are classified. On average, hospitalised cyclists spent four days as in-patients.

The report also found that 71% of hospitalised cyclists were injured in single-cyclist collisions, substantially higher than the 20% recorded in Garda data. Of all cyclists hospitalised during the five-year period, 625 (19%) sustained clinically serious injuries, with a higher probability of long-term consequences, and spent an average of 10 days in hospital.

While hospital data sheds light on the scale and severity of cyclist injuries, it does not capture the circumstances surrounding how those injuries occurred. To address this, the RSA will begin a national survey of cyclists next week, seeking to understand contributory factors and the conditions surrounding cycling collisions and injuries on Irish roads.

The survey will ask cyclists about their experiences on the road, including whether they have been involved in a collision in the last five years and the circumstances of those incidents. It will also seek cyclists' broader views on sharing the road with other road users and everyday cycling behaviours. The RSA is encouraging regular cyclists and those who have been involved in a collision as a cyclist in the last five years, aged 17 and over, to take part.

Michael Rowland, Director of the RSA, said:

"Cycling has enormous benefits for individuals, communities and the environment, and it is essential that people feel safe when using our roads. This survey will help us better understand the experiences of cyclists, the circumstances surrounding collisions and injuries, and the challenges cyclists face every day.

By complementing the existing data we have on collisions and injuries, with the survey findings, we can develop a much fuller understanding of cyclist safety in Ireland and help inform future road safety measures, policy and education initiatives."

The full report is available at rsa.ie.