Northern Ireland road deaths and serious injuries: what the latest 2026 figures show
Thirty-six people died and 531 were seriously injured on Northern Ireland roads in the first six months of 2026. Here is how that compares with the same period of 2025 — and why the numbers need careful interpretation.
Updated 21 September 2026. Northern Ireland recorded 36 road deaths and 531 people seriously injured between 1 January and 30 June 2026, according to the latest PSNI monthly collision bulletin available at the time of writing.
There were 2,481 police-recorded injury road-traffic collisions during those six months, up from 2,396 in the same period of 2025. A further 3,209 people were slightly injured.
The headline that deserves the most care is the fatality increase: 36 deaths in the first half of 2026 compared with 23 in the first half of 2025, a rise of 57%. That is a serious change, but it is still a six-month comparison. It should not be doubled to predict a full-year death toll.
Latest Northern Ireland road casualty figures
| Jan–Jun | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injury collisions | 2,481 | 2,396 | +85 / +3.5% |
| Fatalities | 36 | 23 | +13 / +57% |
| Killed or seriously injured | 567 | 505 | +62 / +12.3% |
| Seriously injured | 531 | 482 | +49 |
| Slightly injured | 3,209 | 3,322 | -113 |
| Total casualties | 3,776 | 3,827 | -51 |
The table illustrates why one headline can be misleading. Total casualties actually fell slightly, while deaths and serious injuries increased. Road-safety performance therefore cannot be judged by the total casualty count alone.
What does KSI mean?
KSI means killed or seriously injured. It is a key road-safety measure because it focuses on the outcomes with the greatest human impact rather than combining fatal, serious and slight injuries into one total.
From January to June 2026, Northern Ireland recorded 567 KSI casualties. That was 12.3% higher than the 505 recorded in the same six months of 2025.
How does 2026 compare with the final 2025 figures?
The final full-year 2025 statistics recorded:
- 5,015 injury collisions;
- 56 fatalities;
- 1,066 serious injuries;
- 6,757 slight injuries;
- 7,879 casualties in total; and
- 1,122 people killed or seriously injured.
Those are 12-month totals, so they should not be compared numerically with January-to-June 2026 as if both periods were the same length. The correct like-for-like comparison for the newest bulletin is January-to-June 2026 versus January-to-June 2025.
Which road users were killed or seriously injured most often?
The January-to-June 2026 KSI breakdown shows:
| Road-user group | KSI casualties |
|---|---|
| Drivers | 222 |
| Passengers | 113 |
| Pedestrians | 96 |
| Motorcyclists | 87 |
| Pedal cyclists | 24 |
| Pillion passengers | 3 |
| Other road users | 22 |
These are raw casualty counts, not risk rates. A group can have a lower absolute number but a higher risk per mile travelled. Comparisons between car occupants, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians therefore need exposure data before making claims about which mode is “safest”.
Which age groups saw the biggest changes?
PSNI's first-half 2026 KSI data recorded:
- Under 16: 59, up from 53.
- Age 16–24: 125, up from 94.
- Age 25–34: 97, up from 81.
- Age 35–49: 103, up from 96.
- Age 50–64: 90, down from 104.
- Age 65+: 93, up from 77.
The biggest numerical rise in that table was among 16-to-24-year-olds, up by 31 KSI casualties in the first six months. But age-group counts should still be interpreted alongside population size, licence holding and travel exposure before drawing conclusions about individual risk.
Where were serious casualties recorded?
For January to June 2026, Belfast City district had the largest KSI total at 99. Newry, Mourne and Down recorded 69; Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon recorded 63; Mid Ulster 49; Fermanagh and Omagh 48; Causeway Coast and Glens 48; Mid and East Antrim 47; Antrim and Newtownabbey 40; Lisburn and Castlereagh 40; Ards and North Down 40; and Derry City and Strabane 24.
Fermanagh and Omagh recorded seven fatalities in the first half of 2026, the highest district total in the bulletin. Derry City and Strabane was the only district to record zero road deaths during the six-month period.
Again, district totals are not exposure-adjusted. A larger or busier area may record more casualties simply because more journeys occur there.
What were the main recorded causation factors?
For KSI casualties in the first half of 2026, the three most common principal causation factors were:
- Inattention or attention diverted — 85 KSI casualties.
- Wrong course/position — 53.
- Impairment by drugs or alcohol, driver/rider — 46.
These are police-recorded principal causation factors. They should not be treated as a complete forensic explanation of every collision.
Single-vehicle collisions accounted for more than a quarter of deaths
PSNI reports that single-vehicle collisions resulted in 10 fatalities between January and June 2026, or 27.8% of all fatalities. In the first half of 2025, there were seven single-vehicle collision fatalities, representing 30.4% of that period's deaths.
The percentage fell because the total number of fatalities increased more sharply than the single-vehicle count. This is a useful example of why percentages and absolute numbers should be read together.
Why 2025's final total changed from the provisional figure
At the start of 2026, provisional reporting referred to 57 road deaths during 2025. The final accredited statistics later confirmed 56 fatalities. That is normal statistical practice: provisional collision records can be revised as investigations and data validation are completed.
For publication, PureCar uses the final 56 figure when discussing the completed 2025 calendar year and labels 2026 figures as provisional where PSNI does so.
What does the longer-term picture show?
DfI's 2025 Road Safety Strategy report says the 56 deaths recorded in 2025 were 19% lower than the 69 recorded in 2024 and 17% below the strategy baseline of 68. However, serious injuries moved in the opposite direction: 1,066 in 2025 was 14% higher than 939 in 2024 and 42% above the strategy baseline of 751.
That divergence matters. A fall in deaths is positive, but an increase in life-changing serious injuries means it would be wrong to describe 2025 as a simple across-the-board road-safety improvement.
Why six months is too short for a confident trend
Fatal collisions are relatively low-frequency events, which makes short-period percentages volatile. Thirteen additional deaths compared with the same six months a year earlier produces a 57% increase. That is important, but the final 2026 outcome could still differ substantially from a straight-line projection.
For that reason, the strongest interpretation is: the first half of 2026 was materially worse than the first half of 2025 for fatalities and KSI casualties. It is not yet a final full-year result.
Frequently asked questions
How many people have died on Northern Ireland roads in the latest official 2026 monthly statistics?
PSNI recorded 36 fatalities between 1 January and 30 June 2026.
How many people were seriously injured?
531 people were seriously injured in the same six-month period.
Did total casualties rise?
No. Total casualties fell from 3,827 to 3,776, even though fatalities and serious injuries increased.
How many people died in the whole of 2025?
The final 2025 figure is 56 fatalities.
What was the main recorded causation factor in 2026?
Inattention or attention diverted was the most common principal causation factor for KSI casualties in the January-to-June bulletin.
Sources and methodology
PSNI's June 2026 bulletin states that collision information from 1 April 2026 onward was provisional at the time of publication, although all fatal collisions had been processed. This article keeps provisional and final data clearly separated.
