Road safety, fatalities rise in 2022: +4 per cent over 2021

Brussels – Safety is no longer running on the road. The number of fatalities from road accidents in the EU continues to grow. In 2022, Eurostat notes in data released today, fatal road accidents claimed 20,653 lives across the European Union, marking a 4 per cent increase over 2021 (19,917 deaths). Fatalities increased for two consecutive years after an unprecedented drop in 2020 (18,833), attributed to COVID-19 restrictions affecting passenger transport.

The European Statistical Institute reports an average of 46 road traffic fatalities per million inhabitants in the EU in the reporting year. Taking into account the population of each member country, the lowest road traffic fatality rates in 2022 were recorded in Sweden (22 road traffic fatalities per million inhabitants), Denmark (26), and Ireland (31). In contrast, the highest rates were recorded in Romania (86 road fatalities per million inhabitants), followed by Bulgaria (78) and Croatia (71). The Italian figure (54) is not among the highest but still above average.

Prevention and information campaigns seem to be the watchword for virtually every EU member state, given that, Eurostat continues, “nearly half of the victims of road accidents in 2022 were drivers or passengers of cars.” Specifically, car passengers or drivers accounted for 44.6 percent of fatalities in 2022, while pedestrians accounted for 18.1 percent. 

Most losing their lives are those under 50. People aged 25-49 account for one-third of all road fatalities in the EU in 2022.