The lack of hedgerow management is leading to a significant number of road traffic accidents on rural roads, according to road hauliers.

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has said their members are "sick and tired" of continual inaction on dangerous tree branches and hedges protruding out on to our roads.

The association has called on local authorities to ensure that roadside hedges are cut back, in particular at busy junctions.

According to the hauliers, overgrown hedges are blocking sightlines at junctions, obstructing road signs and causing more accidents on our rural road network.

The IRHA is urging local authorities to consider both truck and trailer heights when cutting back hedgerows and to cut up to four metres high.

Overgrown hedgerows pose a particular danger for high-sided vehicles such as trucks, according to IRHA president Ger Hyland.

Encroach

“When hedges encroach on to the road, truck drivers are often forced to veer across the white line in order to avoid damage to their vehicles and wing mirrors, creating a dangerous situation for all road users.”

Hyland added: “An average- to medium-sized haulier is losing two mirrors a week on their truck fleet. That is a cost of €1,000 a week due to mismanagement of our roadside vegetation.”

Overgrown hedges and briars, he added, present a clear danger for cyclists and pedestrians, as they can push them out into traffic at the last minute.

"As of 19 June, 19 pedestrians and eight cyclists have already been killed on our roads in 2025," he said.

Hyland criticised local authorities for not enforcing the law around hedge-cutting.

Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993 sets out a clear responsibility on landowners to maintain roadside hedgerows, but, according to Hyland, enforcement is non-existent by local authorities.

Hyland called on local authorities to be more proactive when engaging with local landowners whose lands border the rural roads network.

"Hedge-cutting is prohibited from 1 March to 31 August, but there is an exemption in cases where overgrowth poses a road safety hazard.

Results from a 2024 Ipsos B&A survey of professional drivers, commissioned by the RSA, found that 75% of 620 HGV drivers surveyed reported overgrown roadside hedgerows to be challenging while driving," he said.

Hyland said that the organisation is very aware of the importance of hedgerows and biodiversity, but road safety must take priority.