Road safety: Progress in cutting EU road deaths way below targets in 2011

According to new figures published by the European Commission, progress in lowering road fatalities slowed significantly during 2011 (only 2%) in a stark comparison to an average EU-reduction of 6% in the last decade. Against this background, while some EU Member States (MS) known for strong safety records like Germany and Sweden, now show a significant increase in deaths, other MS already lagging behind in road safety like Poland and Belgium see the number of deaths going up.

In July 2010 the Commission adopted challenging plans to reduce the number of deaths on Europe’s roads by half in the next 10 years.

Still, 85 people die on Europe’s roads every day, mostly the vulnerable road users like cyclists and motorcyclists. Road accidents are still accountable for the most mortality and short- and long-term disabilities among children in the WHO European Region.

Commenting on these worrying trends Siim Kallas, the vice President of DG Transport, made a pledge to sharply intensify efforts at EU and national level to reach EU goal of cutting road fatalities in half again by 2020. He said to be urging ministers in all Member States to ask for information about national road safety enforcement plans for 2012.

EPHA related articles

EPHA Briefing Paper on Health Inequalities