Irish cycling campaigner compares vehicles to “weapons,” and says people change when they get behind the wheel

As road deaths rise across the country, cycling activists have argued that road deaths and collisions are not individual accidents but the results of wider policy decisions.

This has led some cycling campaigners to call road violence “the most defining public health issue of our time.”

On The Hard Shoulder, Una Morrison, spokesperson for the Irish Cycling Campaign, said she shared these views and that all road deaths are preventable.

She said that vehicle safety features, such as airbags, would not be necessary if drivers were safer on the road.

Ms. Morrison also said that policymakers and road vehicle manufacturers must be held responsible for road traffic accidents.

Behaviour while driving

Recounting an incident she witnessed in Sligo involving two cars in a “standoff” as two lanes merged, Ms. Morrison said we need to examine our behaviour while driving

She argued that society would not accept such “territorial” behaviour in other aspects of life such as in a supermarket.

Ms. Morrison also referred to reports of more than 100 incidents of harassment and abuse directed to lollipop people from road users since 2024.

‘We need government to set the environment up so it’s safer for everybody’

Mr. Morrison also called on the Government to implement policies to curb road traffic accidents.

She said that reducing speeds to 30km/h in built-up areas would improve safety by removing traffic, noting that consultations on which areas to reduce speeds are ongoing.

Additionally, Ms. Morrison noted that increasing the number of “safe routes” for children to cycle or walk to school would reduce the level of traffic while providing healthier outcomes.

While accepting that every political party is committed to improving road safety, she said that the political will to implement changes is not “unified in every party.”