Countries fail reaching fatality targets

The EU looks set to fail on reaching its targets to halve the numbers of those killed in road crashes by the end of the decade, with the UK one of several countries currently making no major progress into cutting the numbers of people killed on roads, IAM RoadSmart has discovered.

In its report this week, Ranking EU Progress on Road Safety, the ETSC (European Transport Safety Council) noted there has only been a two per cent decrease in the numbers of those killed in road crashes in the EU in 2017, and only two countries look set to meet the targets set by the end of the decade (Greece and Estonia).

Although progress has flattened in the past four years, the report credits the fact there were 6,350 fewer deaths in 2017 compared to 2010 in EU countries, and a 54% drop in fatalities since 2001. Norway and Sweden are the safest countries for road users in Europe.

Some 25,250 people lost their lives on EU roads in 2017, representing a two per cent reduction on the 2016 figure. This number has fallen by only three per cent in the last four years.

The ETSC has recommended to member states a number of proposals to ensure countries make forward progress, including an integrated road transport policy involving road planners and users, and funding at national and local levels.

Across EU countries, Estonia leads with a 32% reduction in the number of road deaths between 2016 and 2017. The UK has gone from 1,905 killed on roads in 2010 to 1,854 in 2014 to an estimated 1,783 in 2017.

The ETSC report has prompted IAM RoadSmart to warn that past progress could be undone and to call once again for road safety targets, and a partnership approach to drive home the safety message to a new generation of road users who are hooked on smartphones and social media.