This publication has been compiled during the COVID-19 crisis. The results contained in this publication reflect some of the impacts of the COVID-19 situation.
In 2021, 101,853 new private cars were licensed for the first time, an increase of 21% compared with the previous year.
The number of vessels arriving in Irish ports and the gross tonnage of all arriving vessels in 2021 both increased by 7% compared with 2020.
In 2021, 137 people were killed on Irish roads, a decrease of 10 fatalities when compared with 2020.
In 2021, Irish licensed vehicles travelled a total 41.9 billion kilometres, compared with 36.2 billion kilometres in 2020 and 47.1 billion in 2019.
Wheelchair accessible taxis and hackneys represented 17% (3,250) of the total small public service vehicles in 2021.
Speeding accounted for nearly three-quarters (74%) of all penalty point endorsement notices issued in 2021.
The share of electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) purchased in 2021 has more than doubled when compared with 2020.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (30 November 2022) published the Transport Omnibus 2021. The Omnibus presents a comprehensive picture of transport activity in Ireland. The publication is compiled using data published by the CSO throughout the year as well as official statistics from other public bodies.
Commenting on the publication, Dr Nele van der Wielen, Statistician in the Transport Division, said: “The 2021 Transport Omnibus was compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic and shows the impact of the pandemic on the transport sector. It includes statistics on diverse topics such as vehicle licensing, penalty points, total kilometres driven in 2021, aviation, and public transport.
Driving Tests
Compared with 2020, the number of driving tests conducted in 2021 increased by 63%.
Penalty Points
During 2021, a total of 216,551 penalty point endorsement notices were issued, an increase of 9% on the previous year. Almost three-quarters (74%) of all penalty point endorsement notices issued in 2021 were for speeding.
Air Travel
Air passenger data show a substantial fall in passengers handled by Irish airports due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, 9.1 million passengers passed through the main Irish airports, an increase of 10% on 2020 but still down by 76% or by 29 million passengers when compared with 2019.
Total Kilometres Driven
COVID-19 travel restrictions in 2021 are reflected in a decrease in the number of kilometres travelled by Irish licensed vehicles. Irish licensed vehicles travelled, on average, 14,434 kilometres in 2021, a decrease of 14% compared with 2019 (pre-COVID-19). The total distance travelled by Irish licensed vehicles last year was 41.9 billion kilometres, compared with 36.2 billion kilometres in 2020 and 47.1 billion in 2019.
Vehicles Licensed
In 2021, 101,853 new private cars were licensed for the first time, an increase of 21% compared with the previous year. Electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) grew in popularity. PHEVs accounted for 16% of all new cars licensed for the first time in 2021 compared with 8% in 2020. This means that out of all new private cars, the share of PHEVs has more than doubled. Looking exclusively at electric-only cars, the share of new electric cars licensed increased from 5% in 2020 to 8% in 2021.
There were 34,396 new diesel private cars licensed in 2021, compared with 36,208 in 2020. For used (imported) diesel private cars, the total licensed was 36,495 in 2021. This compares with 50,886 last year.
Maritime
Irish ports handled nearly 54 million tonnes of goods in 2021. This represents an increase of 5% compared with 2020.
Road Freight
In 2021, a total of 154.9 million tonnes of goods was transported by road, which represents an increase of 10% on the 2020 total, but a decrease of 3% when compared with 2019."