European Union, still too many deaths on the roads:the 2030 goal is far away

Road deaths have dropped by only 1 percent in the last year.Italy in 21st place among the 27 countries of the European Union.Finland did well.

The European Union has set the objective of reducing by 50 percent, by 2030, the number of dead on the roads of the continent.But the path still promises to be long and a decisive decision is needed to hit the target accelerated.Last year, in fact, there were 20,418 deaths on the roads of the European Union.

In Europe in 2023 one death on the roads every two hours

Let's talk about 56 victims per day, over two every hour, with a decrease of 1 percent compared to 2022;a percentage that would have to increase at least 6 times to reach the community objective.The picture emerges from the annual report of Road safety performance index of the European transport safety council (European Transport Safety Council), of which, for our country, it is part the Automobile Club of Italy.

In Italy road accident victims dropped by 2 percent in one year.The mortality rate per million inhabitants remains higher than the European average (52 against 46) and, out of the 27 countries of the Union, ours ranks only at 21st place regarding the reduction in mortality over the last decade.Excellent results come from Finland, which received the Road safety performance index 2024 award for the excellent results achieved in the field of road safety, the result of a global strategy and important long-term objectives:in the last decade the Nordic country has reduced the number of road victims by 29 percent, compared to the European average of 16 percent.

We need a European Road Safety Agency

Just as there are already active agencies responsible for the safety of air, maritime and rail transport, the European transport safety council has asked for the establishment of a European Road Safety Agency;a reality that should be equipped with specific powers, such as managing the introduction of vehicles autonomous driving and carrying out in-depth investigations into the most serious incidents.

“Road safety – explained the director of the ETSC, Antonio Avenoso – must once again be a priority.In the last five years, 100 thousand people have died on European roads and another 100 thousand will die in the next five if nothing changes.The new MEPs and Commissioners must hit the ground running."The European Transport Safety Council also urged the EU Commission to review the safety regulations of vehicles taking into account the rapid progress of technologies, and to also set new standards for periodic vehicle inspections, to ensure correct maintenance and effectiveness of new technologies throughout the life of the vehicles.