Road deaths: EU remains far from 2020 goal

Around 25,300 people died on European roads in 2017 – almost as many as in the previous year – taking the EU further from its goal of halving road deaths in the decade leading up to 2020, according to data published on Tuesday.

The 2017 figure marks a 20 per cent reduction on the number of road deaths recorded in 2010.

In addition, 135,000 people were seriously injured in road accidents in 2017, including pedestrians and cyclists, according to data released by the European Commission.

“Behind these figures are as many stories of grief and pain,’’ said EU Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc.

“I believe that the EU can do more to better protect Europeans,” she added.

Sweden and Britain were the safest member states, with fewer than 30 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2017.

At the other end of the spectrum, Romania and Bulgaria each reported more than 90 road deaths per million inhabitants.

The EU average was 49 road deaths per million inhabitants, down from 63 in 2010.

The European Commission has little influence over road safety measures, which are mostly set at the local or national level.

However, it is looking into options such as strengthening EU rules on vehicle safety and the use of new technology to reduce driver errors.

New proposals are due to be presented in the coming months, the commission said.

The cost of road fatalities and injuries is estimated to be around 120 billion euros (148 billion dollars) annually in rehabilitation, healthcare and material damage, according to the EU’s executive body.