Only 649 traffic gardaí highlights need for 'whole new approach' to road safety, MEP says

Eva Osborne

EU transport MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú is calling for an "urgent road safety" crackdown after highlighting how there are only 649 traffic gardaí in the country.

Ní Mhurchú said Ireland is at risk of falling behind EU road safety standards due to insufficient enforcement capacity and a lack of gardaí in road policing units.

There were 1,046 gardaí working in roads policing in 2009. Recent figures supplied to Ní Mhurchú by gardaí under freedom of information (FOI), show that in March 2026, that number has fallen to 649.

That is despite a significant increase in the population in Ireland in the intervening years, Ní Mhurchú said.

Although Garda traffic cop numbers have risen slightly over the past two years, Ní Mhurchú said that the spike in road deaths this year means 2026 could surpass recent road fatality levels unless urgent action is taken.

She said large rural regions are being policed by dangerously small traffic units, including Kerry, with 21 gardaí, and Donegal, with 22 gardaí, working specifically on roads policing.

Sligo and Leitrim together have only 14 traffic cops policing roads there.