Romania remains the country with the most deaths caused by road accidents in the European Union, despite a slight decrease in the number of victims in 2024.
Romania remains in the first place in the EU for deaths caused by road accidents. Photo: Archive
According to data published on Tuesday by the European Commission, approximately 19,800 people lost their lives in road accidents in the EU last year, 600 less than 2023, which represents a 3%decrease, informs AGERPRES.
The safest countries in terms of road safety were Sweden, Malta and Denmark, with mortality rates under 25 deaths per one million inhabitants. At the opposite end, Romania and Bulgaria continue to have the highest mortality rates – 77, respectively 74 deaths per one million inhabitants, almost double compared to the EU average, which is 44.
However, Romania made significant progress, achieving a 4% decrease in deaths in 2024 compared to 2023 and a 21% reduction compared to 2019. Countries such as Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Estonia had even higher decreases, over 30%.
European officials warn that, although the trend is descending, the rhythm remains too slow to achieve the EU lens to half the number of deaths by 2030.
We need to accelerate efforts to improve road safety
“Although the 3% reduction in the number of fatal road accidents is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. Too many lives are still lost on our roads every year. We need to accelerate efforts to improve road safety, especially for vulnerable road users and in high risk areas such as rural roads”, Stated Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport.
According to data, rural roads remain the most dangerous, being responsible for 52% of deaths. Most of the victims are drivers and passengers, followed by motorcyclists (20%), pedestrians (18%) and cyclists (10%).
In order to combat this issue, the European Commission has introduced a set of measures, including updating the rules for driving licenses and stricter legislation on car technical inspections. In addition, it is working on improving the application of road norms at the cross -border level.
The EU has proposed that by 2050, it would reach “Zero vision” – total elimination of deaths caused by road accidents.
