RSA launches national cyclist survey

The Road Safety Authority today published a new report highlighting the scale and nature of serious injuries sustained by cyclists on Irish roads, while also announcing the launch of a national survey aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the circumstances of cyclist injury collisions.

Published during Bike Week, the RSA’s Serious Injuries Among Cyclists report examines the characteristics and trends associated with serious cyclist injuries in Ireland using both An Garda Síochána collision data and hospital admissions data.

The report found that 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 (52%) of all serious cyclist injuries occurred in Dublin.

The highest number of serious injuries was recorded in 2021, when 314 cyclists were seriously injured.

However, hospital data reveals that between 2020 and 2024, 3,305 pedal cyclists were admitted to hospital with injuries following road traffic collisions – significantly higher than the number of serious injuries recorded by An Garda Síochána over a similar period.

According to the report, several factors may explain this discrepancy, including incidents not being reported to An Garda Síochána or differences in how injuries are classified.

On average, cyclists admitted to hospital 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 An Garda Síochána 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 10 days in hospital, on average.

While the hospital data provides important insight into the scale and severity of cyclist injuries, it does not provide information about the circumstances surrounding collisions or how those injuries occurred.

To address this gap, the RSA will next week begin a national survey of cyclists across Ireland to better understand the contributory factors and circumstances 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 surrounding those incidents.

The initiative forms part of the RSA’s ongoing work to improve cyclist safety and to build a more complete picture of the factors contributing to serious injuries among cyclists.

The survey will also seek cyclists’ broader views on sharing the road with other road users and everyday cycling behaviours.

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 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 participate in the survey.