ETSC: 20 thousand deaths on European roads in 2023. Only -1% on 2022
19.06.2024
The European Transport Safety Council presents the accident figures in the 27 EU countries
Last year, there were more than 20 thousand deaths on the roads in the European Union (20,418: almost 56 per day, more than 2 every hour): only 1% less than in 2022, a percentage well below the 6 .1% per year, necessary to reach the EU objective of reducing deaths on European roads by 50% by 2030.
Italy – whose final data for 2023 will be released by ACI and Istat on 25 July – with a decrease in deaths of around 2% and a mortality rate per million inhabitants (52) higher than the European average ( 46), ranks 21st among the 27 EU countries in terms of mortality reduction over the last decade.
These are some of the not very comforting elements that emerge from Relationship annual Road Safety Performance Index of the European Transport Safety Council (European Council for Transport Safety), of which, for our country, the Automobile Club of Italy is part.
The ETSC calls for the establishment of a European Road Safety Agency – like those responsible for the safety of air, sea and rail transport – with specific powers, such as managing the introduction of self-driving vehicles and carrying out in-depth investigations into the most serious accidents.
The ETSC also urges the European Commission to review the rules on vehicle safety, taking into account the rapid progress of technologies and to set new standards for periodic vehicle inspections, to ensure correct maintenance and effectiveness of new technologies throughout their life of the vehicle.
“Road safety must once again be a priority – declared Antonio Avenoso, Director of the ETSC. In the last five years, 100,000 people have died on EU roads and another 100,000 will die in the next five if nothing changes. The new MEPs and Commissioners must hit the ground running.”