The dramatic reduction in the number of gardaí attached to the roads policing unit must be immediately addressed by the Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner, according to Social Democrats transport spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore said:
“This was an appalling weekend for road fatalities in Ireland and my deepest sympathy goes out to all the grieving families as they deal with such unimaginable loss.
“This must serve as an urgent wake-up call for the government and garda management. We need to see a major recalibration of resources in the roads policing unit, which continues to be starved of gardaí.
“It is deeply shocking to learn there are almost 400 fewer gardai deployed to these units than there were 15 years ago – despite the fact that the number of cars on Irish roads has increased by as much as 450,000 in the same period.
“Figures recently published by the Parc Road Safety Group show that, in some regions, the number of gardaí in roads policing has halved since 2009, with 40 fewer vehicles tied to traffic units compared to 2024.
“Changing driver behaviour is key to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our roads, but this won’t be achieved without improved garda visibility and increased enforcement.”
February 23, 2026