Appeal made to pedestrians to ‘cop on’ and wear hi-vis vests as evenings get darker
An appeal has been made to the public to wear a hi-vis vest when out walking late at night during the dark winter months.
The call came from Cathaoirleach of the Claremorris and Swinford Municipal District, Michael Burke, who urged people to take responsibility for their own safety by ensuring they are visible to drivers after dark.
“The amount of people walking in dark places, wearing dark clothes - if there’s a car coming against you, you just have no hope,” he said, “We hear about all the pedestrians that have been hit, and the real fact of the matter is that many of them are not wearing hi-vis jackets.”
Cllr Burke warned that unless the public started taking precautions, road accidents involving pedestrians will continue to rise.
“If people don’t cop on and wear their vests, we are going to have way more accidents on the road and it won't be the driver's fault,” he warned, “When you are on footpaths along a dark road, wearing dark clothes - you can’t be seen.”
Cllr Burke stressed the importance of pedestrians making sure they can be seen, especially during the winter months.
He reminded the public that hi-vis vests are available free of charge from the county council, and that most councillors have them available in their constituency offices.
“I would ask that people please wear them,” he added.
The Road Safety Authority’s pedestrian spotlight report on fatalities and serious injuries, published in October 2025, analysed data from 2020 to 2024.
The report showed that serious pedestrian injuries increased during the autumn and winter months, with December recording the highest number - 181 cases out of a total 1,462, accounting for 12pc.
Between October and December, 496 serious pedestrian injuries were recorded, accounting for 34pc of all cases. More than half of these occurred during hours of darkness.
A total of 196 pedestrian fatalities were recorded. The report showed that 30pc of these took place between 4pm and 8pm, and a further 34pc happened between 8pm and 4am.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.