Spain among four European Union countries with lowest rate of traffic accidents

These are the provisional figures on deaths on roads in 2020, published on Tuesday by the European Commission, which estimates that 18,000 people died in road accidents in the European Union in 2020, a drop of 17% (4,000 fewer deaths) on 2019.

According to the European Commission, the drop in traffic numbers as a result of the health pandemic has had a direct impact, albeit hard to measure, on this fall in road accidents, since some European countries, despite this reduction in mobility, saw a rise in the number of deaths and risky driving increased, particularly speeding, during lockdowns.

According to the figures published, 18 Member States recorded a lower number of deaths, although the drop was not across-the-board. Declines over 20% took place in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Malta and Slovenia. In contrast, countries like Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg and Finland recorded rises in the number of deaths.

According to Pere Navarro, Director of the Directorate-General of Traffic, "it is true that in 2020 the number of fatalities from traffic accidents fell, but in an atypical year in which the pandemic has conditioned everything; hence the challenge now is to bed down this trend". "We have taken regulatory measures that need time to be consolidated and asses their effectiveness".

Despite these European figures, the European Commission recalled that in the decade 2010-2020, the number of deaths on roads fell by 36%, far from the target of 50% fewer deaths set for that decade. Only Greece (54%) beat this target, followed by Croatia (44%), Spain (44%), Portugal (43%), Italy (42%) and Slovenia (42%). In total, nine Member States recorded falls of 40% or more.

However, with a rate of 42 deaths per million inhabitants on the road, the EU continues to be the continent with the highest levels of road safety. The global average stands at more than 180.

Post-Covid Mobility

The European Commission also states how the pandemic has caused many cities to assign more space to cyclists and pedestrians, a measure that may have a positive impact on air quality and lead local authorities to rethink spaces in urban areas.

In the EU as a whole, around 70% of deaths in urban areas are vulnerable users of public roads, that is, pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists. Hence, addressing road safety in built-up areas is a key area for attention and the European Commission wishes to guarantee that road safety is taken into account in all phases of planning urban mobility.

For this reason, road safety will be an important element of the new Urban Mobility Initiative that the European Commission will present at the end of this year. In this regard, two European capitals - Helsinki and Oslo - achieved the milestone of zero deaths of pedestrians and cyclists in 2019, quoting speed restrictions as essential in this progress.

Non official translation