Number of fatal collisions on Limerick to Cork road 'four times the national average'

The N/M20 was identified as one of the major road improvement projects under Project Ireland 2040

placeholder image — The N/M20 was identified as one of the major road improvement projects under Project Ireland 2040

THE number of fatal collisions on the N20 Limerick to Cork road is significantly higher than the average rate for national roads across the country.

Figures released by the N/M20 Project office also show around 8% of all collisions on the N20, where injuries occur, are fatal - four time the national average of 2%.

The detailed analysis of collision data forms part of the appraisal of options for the long-awaited Cork to Limerick road project, which is currently underway, and is the clearest indicator yet of the scale of road safety problems that exist on the current road between the two cities.

Currently, there are 625 access points along the length of the N20 comprising of private dwellings, farm entrances and junctions which is a major contributor to the safety issues.

An analysis of the collision data between 2016 and 2018 shows there were 87 personal injury collisions along the entire N20 route. Of these seven, 13 resulted in serious injury and the remaining 67 resulted in minor injury. According to the analysis, a high percentage of collisions (63%) occurred along rural sections of the N20, which is significantly different from the national average (39%).

In addition, to the detailed analysis, provisional data from Transport Infrastructure Ireland shows there were three fatal collisions on the N20 in 2019 and four in 2020 which indicates the trend of high numbers of fatal collisions on the N20 seems to continue and is potentially increasing.

The various options under consideration for the proposed N/M20 project will help address the serious safety deficiencies and reduce the rate of serious collisions on the road between the second and third cities.

See corklimerick.ie for more.