 European Commission - Press release |
Road Safety: new statistics call for fresh efforts to save lives on EU roads
Brussels, 31 March 2016
The 2015 road safety statistics published today by
the European Commission confirm that European roads remain the safest
in the world despite a recent slowdown in reducing road fatalities.
The 2015 road safety statistics
published today by the European Commission confirm that European roads
remain the safest in the world despite a recent slowdown in reducing
road fatalities. 26, 000 people lost their lives on EU roads last year,
5, 500 fewer than in 2010. There is however no improvement at EU level
compared to 2014. In addition, the Commission estimates that 135, 000
people were seriously injured on EU roads. The social cost
(rehabilitation, healthcare, material damages, etc.) of road fatalities
and injuries is estimated to be of at least €100 billion.
EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said "Every
death or serious injury is one too many. We have achieved impressive
results in reducing road fatalities over the last decades but the
current stagnation is alarming. If Europe is to reach its objective of
halving road fatalities by 2020, much more needs to be done. I invite
Member States to step up efforts in terms of enforcement and
campaigning. This may have a cost, but it is nothing compared to the
€100 billion social cost of road fatalities and injuries. For its part,
the Commission will continue to act where it can bring a clear European
added-value. Technology and innovation are increasingly shaping the
future of road safety. In the medium to long term, connected and
automated driving, for instance, has great potential in helping to avoid
crashes, and we are working hard to put the right framework in place."
The average EU fatality rate for 2015 was 51.5 road deaths per 1
million inhabitants, similar to the past two years. This slowdown, which
follows a significant reduction of 8% in 2012 and 2013, has several
contributing factors, such as a higher interaction between unprotected
and motorised road users in our cities. Vulnerable road users
(pedestrians, cyclists, etc.) also account for a large proportion of the
135 000 people the Commission estimates[1]
were injured. This is the first time the Commission publishes such a
figure, as EU Member States have started to report comparable and
reliable data on serious road traffic injuries. This is the first step
towards a European approach to serious injuries.
The country-specific statistics (see below) reveal that the number of
road fatalities still varies greatly across the EU, though this gap is
becoming smaller every year. Some traditionally well-performing
countries recorded less progress while three of the Member States with
the highest number of road deaths improved their road safety situation.
Improving EU road safety
In order to reach the EU strategic target of halving the number of road deaths from 2010 to 2020,
additional efforts are needed. Member States are the main actors as
most of the day-to-day actions are delivered at national and local
level: enforcement of traffic rules, infrastructure development and
maintenance but also education and awareness raising campaigns. The
European Commission acts where there is a clear EU added-value, for
instance through legislation enabling the enforcement of cross-border
traffic offences or by setting technical safety standards for
infrastructure and vehicles. The Commission actively monitors the
situation, stimulates and helps Member States to improve their
performance through the exchange of data, knowledge and experience, and
by sharing best practices.
Technological breakthroughs in the last decade have greatly improved
vehicle safety. The significant advances in innovation and technology
have a strong future potential to improve road safety, in particular in
the area of vehicle automation and connectivity. To pave the way towards
automation and better management of traffic, the Commission aims to
develop a master plan on the deployment of cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
– a two-way communication between vehicles, with and between road
infrastructure – in the second half of 2016. Such systems allow vehicles
to warn each other directly (e.g. in case of emergency breaking) or
through the infrastructure (e.g. upcoming road works).
For more information
Annex
Road deaths per million inhabitants - Preliminary country by country statistics for 2015
|
2010 |
2014 |
2015 |
2014 - 2015 |
2010 - 2015 |
|
|
Belgium |
77 |
65 |
67 |
4% |
-10% |
|
Bulgaria |
105 |
91 |
95 |
4% |
-12% |
|
Czech Republic |
77 |
65 |
70 |
7% |
-8% |
|
Denmark |
46 |
32 |
30 |
-8% |
-35% |
|
Germany |
45 |
42 |
43 |
3% |
-5% |
|
Estonia |
59 |
59 |
50 |
-15% |
-16% |
|
Ireland |
47 |
42 |
36 |
-15% |
-22% |
|
Greece |
112 |
73 |
74 |
2% |
-36% |
|
Spain |
53 |
36 |
36 |
0% |
-32% |
|
France |
64 |
53 |
54 |
2% |
-13% |
|
Croatia |
99 |
73 |
82 |
13% |
-18% |
|
Italy |
70 |
56 |
56 |
1% |
-17% |
|
Cyprus |
73 |
52 |
66 |
27% |
-5% |
|
Latvia |
103 |
106 |
94 |
-11% |
-14% |
|
Lithuania |
95 |
91 |
82 |
-10% |
-19% |
|
Luxembourg |
64 |
64 |
58 |
-9% |
0% |
|
Hungary |
74 |
63 |
66 |
3% |
-13% |
|
Malta |
36 |
24 |
26 |
10% |
-27% |
|
Netherlands |
32 |
28 |
28 |
0% |
-12% |
|
Austria |
66 |
51 |
56 |
10% |
-14% |
|
Poland |
102 |
84 |
77 |
-8% |
-25% |
|
Portugal |
80 |
61 |
60 |
-2% |
-33% |
|
Romania |
117 |
91 |
95 |
4% |
-21% |
|
Slovenia |
67 |
52 |
58 |
11% |
-13% |
|
Slovakia |
65 |
48 |
51 |
6% |
-22% |
|
Finland |
51 |
42 |
48 |
15% |
-3% |
|
Sweden |
28 |
28 |
27 |
-2% |
0% |
|
United Kingdom |
30 |
29 |
29 |
-1% |
-4% |
|
EU |
63 |
51 |
51.5 |
1% |
-17% |
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