Extra road safety funding granted in Northern Ireland amid rising deaths

Figures show there have been 29 road deaths in Northern Ireland so far this year

Extra funding has been granted to re-enforce critical road safety messages amid a recent spike in road deaths in Northern Ireland.

The Department for Infrastructure announced an extra £220,000 funding commitment has been agreed in response to the growing number of road deaths this year.

Figures from the PSNI show there have been 29 road fatalities so far this year, more than twice the number for the same period in 2025, when 14 fatalities were recorded on our roads.

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Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said the funding to re-enforce road safety messages will focus on general driver behaviour and motorcyclist safety.

Minister Kimmins said: “Road safety continues to be a key priority for me, and I remain firmly committed to ensuring that all road users can travel safely and with confidence.

“Every road death is a tragedy and more than a statistic, it shatters families and causes devastating grief. Therefore, given the recent spikes in road deaths, I have committed funding in 2026-27 to re-launch three campaigns this month.

“Beginning May 7th, Priorities, Bike Speed and Bike Aware address general driver behaviour and motorcyclist safety as an initial priority.

“Last year I reinstated the road safety advertising budget, approving an allocation of almost £2 million to Road Safety Promotion for the 2025-26 financial year.

“In addition, the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership (NIRSP) has allocated £500,000 in sponsorship, bringing the total budget to almost £2.5 million.

“This budget funded the development of a suite of campaigns to address the main causations of road traffic collisions, including, hard hitting ads addressing speeding, driver behaviour, drug driving and safety around school buses.”

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