The number of people wearing helmets while riding motorbikes, pedal bicycles or e-scooters has dropped, a survey from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) found.
In the observational study in August, just half of pedal cyclists were seen wearing a helmet, a drop of 7 per cent on last year.
The number of e-scooter riders wearing a helmet fell by 15 per cent in 2024 to 27 per cent this year.
But 98 per cent of observed motorcyclists wore a helmet, a dip of 1 per cent on last year.
RM Block
The findings came from the RSA’s nationwide observational survey of how many cyclists, e-scooter riders and bikers were seen wearing high-visibility clothing and helmets.
Among pedal cyclists, one in five wore high-visibility clothing such as hi-vis vests, the same number as 2024, while the number of e-scooter riders wearing reflective gear rose 1 per cent to 19 per cent compared to the year before.
The survey showed 28 per cent of motorcyclists wore high-visibility clothing, a 1 per cent rise on 2024.
However, the rate of high-visibility clothing usage has declined over the last 10 years overall.
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The RSA recommends scooter riders and cyclists wear a bicycle helmet and high-visibility clothing, particularly at night or in poor light during the day. E-scooter riders are not obliged to wear helmets, but are advised to.
Observations for the survey were conducted at 150 sites, concentrated around the major urban centres of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Kilkenny, Offaly and Westmeath, Waterford, Kildare, Maynooth and Newbridge.
An Garda Síochána recently launched a nationwide visibility campaign, called “Can You See Me Now?”, to highlight the importance of being seen on roads, especially for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooter riders and motorcyclists.
Sam Waide, chief executive of the RSA, said the declining usage of helmets by pedal cyclists and e-scooter riders was “deeply concerning”.
“A decision to wear a helmet – or to make yourself more visible – can be the difference between a minor incident and a life-altering one,” he said.
He urged all road users to take “every possible step to protect themselves and others”.
