Slovakia has made the most progress since an EU target to halve road deaths by 2020 was set four years ago, according to a new report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).
The 8th annual ETSC Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) report is based on analysis of official data overseen by a panel of 32 road safety experts from the 28 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia and Israel.
During the period 2010-13, Slovakia has achieved a 37% reduction in road user deaths. Spain, Greece and Portugal have also reduced deaths by more than 30% over the same three-year period.
In contrast, Finland, Serbia and Sweden only managed to reduce deaths by less than 5%, and in Estonia and Malta there were a few more deaths in 2013 than in 2010.
The ETSC analysis shows that 26,025 people died as a result of road collisions in the EU28 in 2013, with a further 199,000 suffering serious injuries.
The report also shows that progress in reducing the number of serious injuries on Europe’s roads has not matched progress in cutting deaths.
ETSC says that progress is being made in terms of harmonising the data classification and collection process across EU member states, and as such is calling for a target of a 35% reduction in serious injuries between 2015 and 2020. ETSC describes this target as “challenging but achievable”.
Same comment as for another current news story, where the emphasis seems to be just fatalities, the implication being that non-fatal but equally devastating consequences are more acceptable and even inevitable. I don’t think there should be a hierarchy system of the consequences of road accidents.
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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