Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins commits funding for critical road safety messaging
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has committed funding to re-enforce critical road safety messages in light of the recent spike in road deaths across the province.
The messages will focus on general driver behaviour and motorcyclist safety as PSNI statistics show that 29 people have died on Northern Ireland’s roads this year (up to May 7).
For the same period last year, 15 people had died in road traffic collisions across Northern Ireland.
Explaining the reasons behind the funding announcement, Minister Kimmins added: “Road safety continues to be a key priority for me, and I remain firmly committed to ensuring that all road users can travel safely and with confidence.
“Every road death is a tragedy and more than a statistic, it shatters families and causes devastating grief. Therefore, given the recent spikes in road deaths, I have committed funding in 2026-27 to re-launch three campaigns this month. Beginning May 7th, Priorities, Bike Speed and Bike Aware address general driver behaviour and motorcyclist safety as an initial priority.
“Last year I reinstated the road safety advertising budget, approving an allocation of almost £2 million to Road Safety Promotion for the 2025-26 financial year.
“In addition, the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership (NIRSP) has allocated £500,000 in sponsorship, bringing the total budget to almost £2.5 million.
“This budget funded the development of a suite of campaigns to address the main causations of road traffic collisions, including, hard hitting ads addressing speeding, driver behaviour, drug driving and safety around school buses.”