20,400 lives lost in road accidents in the EU in 2023

Progress continues to be very uneven among member states: in 2023, Czechia, Cyprus, Poland, Romania, and Finland recorded the lowest figures since modern records began. Poland recorded a 35 per cent decline in the number of deaths between 2019 and 2023, while Ireland recorded a 31 per cent increase. However, Poland’s overall road fatality rate per capita remains above the EU average, while Ireland’s is lower; and the overall ranking of country fatality rates has not changed significantly, with the safest roads in Sweden (22 deaths per million population) and Denmark (26/million), while Bulgaria (82/million) and Romania (81/million) recorded the highest fatality rates in 2023.

Italy recorded 3,039 deaths, with an average/high rate of 52 per million population. The decrease in 2019 is 4 per cent, the same as in 2022.

Figures released by the European Commission today reveal the final number of road fatalities for 2023, following the release of preliminary data in March 2024.

Stime per il primo semestre del 2024

Preliminary data for the first six months of 2024 show that the number of deaths on EU roads has remained unchanged from the same period in 2023. Some member states, including Austria, Lithuania, and Slovenia, have seen significant declines of more than 25 per cent. Other countries have seen significant increases to date. Monthly fluctuations, however, make it difficult to accurately predict the entire year. For Italy, the trend is stable.

The Goals

In 2018, the EU set a goal of reducing road deaths—and, for the first time, serious injuries—by 50 per cent by 2030. In March 2023, the Commission presented a set of proposals on road safety, including updated driving license requirements and better cross-border enforcement of traffic laws.

English version by the Translation Service of Withub