Road deaths down by 3 per cent in the EU—but the target of halving the figure by 2030 remains a long way off

Brussels – In 2025, road traffic deaths in the European Union fell by 3 per cent compared with 2024, though the total number of fatalities remained tragically high at around 19,000. The European Commission, in publishing the preliminary data of Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, and CARE, the European Union’s road accident database, highlights that this figure represents 580 fewer victims than in 2024, a figure that the Berlaymont building describes as “significant”, given the increase in the number of vehicles and kilometres travelled on European roads. 

“In any case, preliminary data highlight the need for sustained efforts at all levels, given that most Member States are not yet on track to meet the EU’s target of halving (compared to 2019 figures, ed.) the number of road deaths and serious injuries by 2030,” the Commission states.

 With the launch of the “Vision Zero” strategy in 2018, the organisation set itself the target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent by 2030, whilst aiming to achieve zero fatalities by 2050. 

In 2025, the average European change compared with 2019 stands at -15 per cent for deaths. Furthermore, it must be borne in mind that for every death, an estimated five people suffer serious injuries, bringing the total number of victims from 19,000 deaths to around 100,000 seriously injured people each year across the EU. 

The figures vary considerably across the EU. Compared with 2019, the largest reductions in deaths were seen in Poland (-43 per cent), Denmark (-32 per cent), and Romania (-30 per cent). By contrast, the countries that have made the least progress in terms of reducing the number of deaths are Austria (-5 per cent), Sweden (-6 per cent), and Germany (-8 per cent), whilst those that have actually recorded an increase in road deaths are: Iceland (+67 per cent), Malta (+31 per cent), Ireland (+31 per cent) and the Netherlands (+9 per cent). 

Looking instead solely at the change between 2024 and 2025, the sharpest declines were recorded in Estonia (-38 per cent) and Greece (-22 per cent). Conversely, the countries that recorded minimal reductions or even increases in road deaths were Spain (0 per cent), Sweden (-2 per cent), and Germany and France (both with a 2 per cent increase in road deaths, slightly up on the previous year). 

Italy shows only a modest 4 per cent drop, at 49 deaths per million inhabitants in 2025, a figure higher than the EU average of 43. 

In absolute terms, by 2025, the safest roads will continue to be those in Sweden (20 deaths per million) and Denmark (23). Conversely, despite progress, Romania (68), Bulgaria (71), and Croatia (67) continue to record the highest fatality rates in the bloc. 

According to the 2024 data, rural roads appear to be the most dangerous, accounting for 53 per cent of fatal accidents, compared with 38 per cent in urban areas and 8 per cent on motorways. In towns and cities, the situation is particularly critical for “vulnerable road users” (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists), who account for 70 per cent of all fatalities. 

“Road safety is a shared responsibility between the EU and the Member States, and the steady decline in road deaths across the EU shows that our joint efforts are making a difference,” emphasised Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.