Road accidents claimed 39,000 lives in 2008

Publication date: 23 June 2009

Some 39,000 people were killed in road collisions in 2008 in the EU, 15,400 less than in 2001 but still far from the 27,000 deaths limit - equivalent to a reduction of 50% - which the EU set for itself in its road safety target for 2010. According to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), which examines the performances of member states each year, the 50% reduction may not be achieved until 2017 in the EU. The EU15 - which originally set the 50% target in 2001 - might reach the target with only two years’ delay.

At present, three member states are on the verge of achieving their targets: Luxembourg (-49% of deaths in 2008 compared with 2001), France (-48%) and Portugal (-47%).

Three other countries may also do so, if political efforts are maintained or reinforced: Spain (-43%), Latvia (-43%) and, somewhat more difficult but feasible nevertheless, Belgium (-38%). If we consider deaths per million inhabitants, Malta, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK remain the safest European countries roadwise. At the bottom of the classification are Lithuania, preceded by Poland, Romania and Greece.

It should be pointed out that, in Romania and Bulgaria, the number of road deaths was actually higher in 2008 than in 2001.

In the EU in 2008, 79 people were killed on the roads per million inhabitants, compared to 113 in 2001. With an 8.5% decrease in the number of victims compared with 2007, 2008 has been a good year (no countries exceeding 150 deaths per million inhabitants). According to the ETSC, however, these results can be partly attributed to reduced traffic volume following the recent economic recession and relatively high petrol prices earlier in the year.

Source: Europolitics