Romania continues to have the highest road fatality rate in the EU

The European Commission has released preliminary figures on road fatalities for 2024, reporting around 19,800 deaths - a 3% decrease from 2023, equivalent to 600 fewer lives lost. While this marks a step in the right direction, the overall pace of improvement remains too slow, and most Member States are not on track to meet the EU’s goal of halving road deaths by 2030.   Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism said: "While the 3% reduction in road fatalities is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. Too many lives are still lost on our roads every year. We must accelerate efforts to improve road safety, particularly for vulnerable road users and in high-risk areas like rural roads. Every death is one too many, and we remain committed to achieving our Vision Zero goal."   Diverging trends across Member States   EU-wide, road deaths in 2024 fell by 3% on the previous year. This represents around 600 fewer fatalities. The EU average, however, masks significant differences between Member States.   Over the last five years, the number of road deaths has fallen only slightly in countries such as Greece, Spain, France and Italy, while it has risen in Ireland and Estonia although small countries are more subject to annual fluctuations. In contrast, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia are currently on track to meet the 50% reduction target in road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 (It is important to note that this is based on preliminary and often partial data).   Of note too is Romania, which has seen the number of fatalities fall significantly by 21% over the period since 2019 but continues to have the highest fatality rate in the EU.   The overall ranking of countries’ fatality rates has not changed significantly, with the safest roads still found in Sweden (20 deaths per one million inhabitants) and Denmark (24/million). Bulgaria (74/million) and Romania (77/million) reported the highest fatality rates in 2024. The EU average was 44 road deaths per million inhabitants.   Between 2019 and 2023 (detailed 2024 data is not yet available), there were around 1000 fewer fatalities in cars and 900 fewer pedestrians killed. In contrast, the reduction in fatalities of motorcyclists and cyclists was considerably smaller over this period with a decrease of less than 100 in each case.   For every fatality there are an estimated five seriously injured victims which equates to a total of around 100,000 seriously injured in the EU per year. Based on police data, the downward trend between 2019 and 2023 is broadly similar to that of fatalities although there are considerable differences between countries.   Most affected groups and risk factors   The available EU-wide data for 2023 shows that rural roads continue to be the most dangerous, with 52% of road traffic fatalities occurring on such roads, compared with 38% in urban areas and 9% on motorways.   Men accounted for over three quarters of all road deaths (77%). Older people, aged 65+, are at greater risk as they represented 31% of all road deaths (up from 28% in 2019) while they account for 21% of the population. Similarly, young people aged 18-24 accounted for 12% of road deaths while making up only 7% of the population.   Car occupants (drivers and passengers) represented 44% of all fatalities, while users of powered two-wheelers (motorbikes and mopeds) accounted for 20%, pedestrians 18%, and cyclists 10%. The crash risk for powered two-wheelers (PTW) is particularly high with the passenger km driven by cars up to 35 times that of PTW.   The patterns change significantly depending on age. Among those aged 65+, pedestrians represent 30% of fatalities and cyclists 16% while among those aged 18-24, 62% of fatalities occur in cars and 24% are on powered two-wheelers.   Within urban areas, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and users of powered two-wheelers and personal mobility devices) represent almost 70% of total fatalities. Urban road user fatalities occur overwhelmingly when a crash involves cars and lorries, underlining the need to improve protection of these vulnerable road users. See the latest collision matrices for urban and rural roads.   Background   In 2018, the EU set itself a 50% reduction target for road deaths – and, for the first time, also serious injuries – by 2030. This was set out in the Commission's Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety and EU road safety policy framework 2021-2030, which also laid out road safety plans aiming to reach zero road deaths by 2050 (‘Vision Zero’).   In March 2023, the Commission put forward a package of proposals tackling road safety, including updated requirements for driving licences and better cross-border enforcement of road traffic rules. To further contribute to these efforts, the Commission will soon adopt new proposals to revise its roadworthiness legislation, aiming to reduce the number of unsafe vehicles on EU roads and related crashes.   Road safety has also been a core element of EU mobility policy initiatives, including the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the new TEN-T regulation and the Urban Mobility Framework.   Along with today’s statistics, the European Road Safety Observatory also published a new annual statistical report with data up to 2023 and in-depth thematic reports on road safety in relation to children, professional drivers and traffic safety culture.