EU roads death data for 2020

Organisation: ETSC
Date of Publication: June 2020
Date Uploaded: 22 June 2020

There were around 3,900 fewer road deaths in the European Union in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to a new report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).  The unprecedented 17% annual reduction in deaths is most likely attributable to Covid-19 restrictions on travel.

18,844 people lost their lives in road traffic in the EU in 2020, 10,847 fewer than in 2010, representing a 37% decrease.  56,305 lives were saved on EU roads compared to the number who would have been killed if deaths had stayed at the same level as in 2010.  The saving in human costs resulting from this reduction in deaths was valued at some €156 billion, according to EU research.

Only one EU Member State exceeded the EU target to cut road deaths by 50% over the decade to 2020: Greece with a 54% reduction. Norway, a non-EU country, reduced the number of road deaths by 55%. Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Belgium, Slovenia, Italy, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Austria and Hungary achieved a decrease above the EU average of 37%, while other countries progressed to a lesser extent. The progress was slowest in the Netherlands with a 5% decrease and the UK with 14% in 10 years.

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