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Families 'living without their loved one' as number of road deaths climb

Richard MorganBBC News NI
BBC A woman wearing a PSNI uniform looks at the camera. She is wearing a dark-green hat and a fluorescent yellow jacket. Behind her is a patch of grass, and further in the distance is a road on which several other police officers are standing. BBC
Ch Insp Celeste Simpson said that selfish choices can result in fatalities

The number of people that have died in road traffic collisions during the first three months of the year is at a 17 year high.

Twenty people lost their lives between the beginning of January this year and 31 March.

The last time the figure was this high for the same period was in 2009 when 21 deaths were recorded.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) head of road policing said everyone believes they won't be affected but "this year alone, 20 families are now living without a loved one".

Ch Insp Celeste Simpson told BBC News NI that reducing the number of people being killed on the roads can only be achieved when "we as a society take full responsibility for how are driving".

"We need people to actually understand that the power to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads actually rests with them," she said.

"Driving behaviours need to change. It is the responsibility of road users to make sure that they are driving lawfully on the roads."

A road with two police cars parked in the middle. There are two police officers standing on the road, as well as a number of other vehicles. The sky is cloudy with patches of blue.
The PSNI have been carrying out road safety checks in an effort to make roads safer

Over 800 motorists caught speeding

Speaking at a road safety facility in east Belfast, Simpson said more than 800 people were caught speeding during severe weather warnings in January and February.

The PSNI also made 559 detections for seatbelts not being worn between December 2024 and November 2025, while 1,060 drivers were caught using their mobile phones in the same period.

Asked about the PSNI's ability to manage road safety given the current pressures on resources she said it is up to society to take full responsibility for their actions on our roads.

"My teams and districts maximise our chance of being visible on the road to ensure we are out there detecting and enforcing the Road Traffic Act," she said.

"Speed is something that can be fatal and I make no apologies for making sure my officers are out there detecting speed."

Simpson added that she is asking people to think about how they behave on the road, as well as the choices they make.

"A choice can be selfish and can result in a fatality."

'Too many dying on our roads'

As part of a road safety appeal ahead of the Easter holidays, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said too many people our dying on our roads.

"Too many people are dying on our roads, something that has been brought into sharp focus within recent months.

"We must all do everything we can to ensure no more families are plunged into the unimaginable and life changing grief that road deaths bring to their door."