Northern Ireland Sees Upward Trend in Motorcyclist Deaths and Serious Injuries Compared to GB…

Sadly, I recently witnessed a serious motorbike accident close to where I live. As paramedics, police officers and concerned members of the public gathered to help, my immediate thoughts were with the rider and their well-being. The incident also left me reflecting more broadly on the safety of our local roads and whether enough is being done to protect those who use them.

A report recently published by Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure and NISRA, Motorcyclist KSI Casualties in Northern Ireland, 2020-2024 | Department for Infrastructure , shows that 566 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured (KSI) between 2020 and 2024, accounting for 13% of all road users seriously affected in collisions. The number of motorcyclist KSIs in 2024 totalled 133 – this is the highest level recorded since 2009 and a 15% increase on the previous year. This is despite road safety campaigns being run by the Department over many years.

The data suggests a troubling reversal of a long-term downward trend. Motorcyclist KSIs had fallen steadily from a high of 187 in 2002 to a low of 82 in 2015, but figures have risen consistently since then. Researchers highlight a corresponding increase in motorcycle ownership and just over half of motorcyclist KSIs occurred on rural roads, where fatalities were especially concentrated.

Newry, Mourne and Down recorded the highest rate of motorcyclist KSIs relative to population, whilst Belfast emerged as the biggest hotspot for serious collisions. The report also referred to who was most at risk with men accounted for an overwhelming 95% of motorcyclist KSIs, which reflected the dominant number of male motorcycle riders.

Unsurprisingly, it appears that the weekend is the most likely time for a serious accident as more than a third of serious motorcycle casualties occurred at weekends, particularly on Saturdays. The report also comments on a complex picture of blame and responsibility in relation to these serious accidents, although there are longstanding concerns that drivers frequently fail to see motorcyclists at junctions.

The report also concluded that motorcycle users were the most likely to KSI casualties if injured in a collision. According to the data, 41% of injured motorcycle users were killed or seriously injured, compared with just 12% of road users overall. This underlines the disproportionate dangers motorbike riders continue to face on Northern Ireland’s roads.

When compared to similar data across Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, it can be seen that Northern Ireland has significantly higher casualty figures than elsewhere in these islands.

A comparison with the official statistics from the Department for Transport in the ‘Reported casualties Great Britain: motorcyclist factsheet 2024, link here Reported road casualties Great Britain: motorcyclist factsheet 2024 – GOV.UK , showed that motorcyclists in Northern Ireland are facing rising dangers on the road, diverging sharply from the trends seen in Great Britain, where deaths and serious injuries have continued to decline.

In contrast to Northern Ireland’s data, the picture is significantly different in Great Britain. National road casualty data shows motorcyclist fatalities fell in GB by 42% between 2004 and 2024, while serious injuries declined by 36%. Although both regions saw some increases following the pandemic, Great Britain’s overall long-term trend remains downward.

Despite these differences, both places share common risk factors. Men make up the vast majority of serious motorcycle casualties — 95% in Northern Ireland and 92% in Great Britain — while rural roads remain especially dangerous.

However, Northern Ireland appears to stand out in one important respect: junctions appear to pose a much greater threat. The GB reports states that ‘a majority of motorcycle fatalities (63%) do not occur at or within 20 metres of a junction compared to 49% of all seriously injured (adjusted) motorcycle casualties’.

This data seems to suggest that half of motorcycle KSIs occurred in Northern Ireland at T-junctions or private entrances, whereas in Great Britain, most fatal motorcycle crashes happened away from junctions – possibly pointing to a greater role of speed in rural riding conditions.

Perhaps these insights will assist those planning future road safety campaigns or those responsible for policing our roads or managing our roads design and operation?

In summary, this brief comparison highlights a clear challenge for policymakers in Northern Ireland: while the data available would suggest that Great Britain has broadly improved motorcycle safety, Northern Ireland continues to move in the opposite direction.

Behind every statistic is a rider, a family and a community affected by tragedy. If Northern Ireland is moving in the wrong direction while neighbouring regions improve, we need to be asking what else can be done to keep motorcyclists safe.