Car traffic volumes are down by over 55 per cent but remain higher than those seen during the country’s first Covid-19 lockdown.
The latest CSO data shows car volumes in the final week of January were down by over 55 per cent in regional locations and 53 per cent in Dublin, compared with the same week in 2020.
However, the drop off in traffic was not as substantial as that seen during the country’s initial lockdown in early 2020, when the volume of cars dropped by 70 per cent.
The CSO data also shows a dramatic fall in the number of people flying in and out of the country. Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock and Kerry airports were used by 78 per cent fewer people in 2020 than 2019.
Road deaths
The number of bus and rail journeys is also at one fifth of the levels seen in the weeks before the pandemic hit.
Despite the significant drop off in traffic volumes, six people died on Irish roads last month — a number that the Road Safety Authority's Brian Farrell described as unacceptable.
“While the number of people killed in January has reduced compared to this time last year, we are still seeing an unacceptable number of people being killed and also seriously injured,” he said.
In spite of restrictions and the drop off in travel, there was a noted increase in the number of penalty points handed out for speeding, with 25,000 more notices issued in 2020 than 2019.
