Three-quarters of vehicles were speeding on NI built-up roads at night — what the latest safety figures actually say
Northern Ireland's latest official road-safety report contains one statistic that jumps off the page: 75% of vehicles measured on built-up roads exceeded the limit under free-running overnight conditions.
Northern Ireland's latest road-safety statistics contain two very different stories. Road deaths fell in 2025, but serious injuries rose sharply — and the speed data suggests that excessive speed remains deeply embedded in how vehicles are driven when roads are quiet.
The Department for Infrastructure's 2026 annual statistical report says 56 people were killed in road traffic collisions in 2025. That was 19% lower than the 69 fatalities recorded in 2024 and 17% below the strategy baseline of 68.
At the same time, 1,066 people were seriously injured, up 14% from 939 in 2024 and 42% above the strategy baseline of 751.
The 75% speeding figure needs context
The headline most likely to be shared is that three-quarters of vehicles exceeded the speed limit on built-up roads. But it is important to explain what was actually measured.
The 75% figure relates to vehicles travelling on built-up roads — road types with limits up to 40mph — under free-running conditions between 11pm and 7am. In other words, these were times when traffic was less likely to hold drivers below the speed they would otherwise choose.
DfI describes free-running speed as a useful indicator of driver behaviour because vehicles are relatively unimpeded. It should not be read as saying that 75% of every vehicle on every NI urban road is speeding at all hours of the day.
Speeding was not confined to towns
The same report found substantial proportions exceeding limits on roads outside built-up areas. Under the same free-running conditions, 47% exceeded the limit on dual carriageways, 32% on single carriageways with limits above 40mph and 26% on motorways.
| Road type | Vehicles exceeding limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up roads up to 40mph | 75% |
| Dual carriageways | 47% |
| Single carriageways above 40mph | 32% |
| Motorways | 26% |
Those figures are useful because they show the issue is not simply one notorious road or one town. The pattern changes by road type, but speeding remains present across the network.
Fewer deaths does not mean the problem is solved
A fall from 69 fatalities in 2024 to 56 in 2025 is significant, and any reduction matters. But road-safety performance cannot be judged on fatalities alone. Serious injuries rose to 1,066 — the opposite direction from the fatality figure.
Annual collision figures can also move around from one year to the next, particularly when dealing with relatively small numbers. DfI notes that some indicators are volatile and uses longer rolling averages in parts of the strategy to identify the underlying trend.
Why the built-up-road result matters
Lower-speed urban roads are where drivers are more likely to interact with pedestrians, cyclists, junctions, parked vehicles and residential access points. Even relatively small changes in impact speed can alter the severity of a collision.
The 75% statistic does not tell us how far above the limit each vehicle was travelling, so it would be wrong to describe every one of those drivers as travelling at extreme speed. What it does show is that compliance with posted limits becomes weak when traffic itself is not acting as the restraint.
Northern Ireland's road-safety challenge is broader than speed
PSNI and road-safety campaigns often refer to the 'Fatal Five': speeding, drink or drug driving, not wearing a seat belt, distraction such as mobile-phone use, and careless or inconsiderate driving. Speed is one part of a wider behavioural problem, but it is unusually easy to measure at scale.
For anyone buying a car, the safety conversation is also changing. Modern cars increasingly include autonomous emergency braking, lane support, speed-limit recognition and better crash protection. Those systems can reduce risk, but they do not override the decisions of the person behind the wheel.
If safety equipment is high on your buying list, you can compare current used cars on PureCar and check the specification of the individual vehicle rather than assuming every trim level has the same systems.
The statistic worth remembering
The most useful reading of the latest report is not 'everyone in NI speeds'. It is that when congestion and other vehicles are removed from the equation, a very high proportion of vehicles measured on built-up roads were above the posted limit. At the same time, fatalities fell but serious injuries increased.
That combination is a reminder that road safety cannot be reduced to a single headline number. The progress is real, but so is the remaining problem.
