Brussels – In 2024 on roads and highways across Europe about 19,800 men and women died as a result of accidents. Referencing 2023 numbers this is a “slight decrease” of 3 percent, or 600 fewer lives lost. This is noted by the European Commission in the dati preliminari released today (March 18). The figures do not raise eyebrows, since, the EU executive notes, “the overall pace of improvement remains too slow and most Member States are not on track to meet the EU target of halving the number of road deaths by 2030,” a goal the EU set itself almost 10 years ago now, in 2018.
“Reducing fatalities by 3 percent is not enough,” laments Apostolos Tzitzikostas, commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. “Too many lives are still lost on our roads every year. We need to accelerate efforts to improve road safety,” he explains, “particularly for vulnerable users and in high-risk areas such as rural roads.
Yes, rural roads continue to pose the greatest risk of fatal accidents, with 52 percent of deaths occurring on these roads. The majority of deaths on roads (77percent) involve men, while older adults (the over-65s) and young people (18-24 year olds) are particularly vulnerable. Regarding the type of road users, car occupants account for the largest share of fatalities, followed by motorcyclists (20 percent), pedestrians (18 percent), and cyclists (10 percent).
