A motorcyclist who died in a road accident at the weekend has become the first person to die on the roads in nine days - one of the longest periods without a fatal accident since penalty points for speeding were introduced last year.
No motorists have been killed on the roads since the new penalty points for non-wearing of a seat-belt came in last Monday.
The 43-year-old motorcyclist, due to be named by gardaí later today, was killed when his bike was in collision with a car at Sheepwalk, Frenchpark, Co Roscommon shortly before 9 p.m. on Sunday. The man's death brings to 40 the number of motorcyclists killed for the first eight months of the year - almost matching the total motorcycle deaths for the whole of last year, which reached 41.
"The fact that no car drivers have been killed since the penalty points for seat-belts were introduced is encouraging but the huge increase in motorbike deaths is shocking," Mr Brian Farrell of the National Safety Council said. "Overall road deaths are down this year, but what's bucking the trend and skewing the figures is the motorcycle fatalities. It's a huge cause for concern that the number of motorcycle deaths to date have nearly surpassed the total for last year."
Only 2 per cent of drivers on the roads are motorcyclists yet they account for 18 per cent of fatalities in accidents, Mr Farrell said. "That one in every five people killed on the roads is riding a motorbike is a terrible statistic when you consider what a small proportion of road users they are."
The mild weather, particularly in the earlier part of the year, may have contributed to the number of deaths, Mr Farrell said, as motorcyclists had taken to the roads earlier and more frequently than previously, but he said a lack of training was the bigger culprit.
"A recent survey we conducted found that seven out of every 10 motorcyclists had no formal training before they went out on the roads. That's something that has to be addressed."
There were longer gaps than nine days between road fatalities late last year and in the earlier part of this year when the penalty points for speeding started to take effect, he said, but a gap of more than a week was still exceptional.
"It's such a rare occurrence that it's truly the exception and not the norm."
