ACEA: ‘13% fewer road fatalities in EU compared to 2019’

Road fatalities in the European Union dropped by almost 13% in 2021 compared to 2019. In 2021, they decreased in 22 of the 27 EU member states.

The European Union counts 45 road fatalities per million inhabitants annually, compared to 66 fatalities (per million) back in 2011. This demonstrates that clear progress has been made in road safety across the EU.

European roads safest

Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Croatia, and Poland are the top five most dangerous countries. Malta, Sweden, and Denmark have the safest roads. The global average of fatal accidents is 167, so European roads are by for the safest. Africa, for instance, has 272 fatalities per million inhabitants.

While 42 million more motor vehicles are on European roads now (+17,3%), road fatalities have fallen by 32,8% since 2010.

Bus: most popular public transport

Buses are the most widely-used form of public transport in the EU, capable of replacing 30 cars on the road. Buses also have the lowest carbon footprint per passenger of any motorized transport. 55,7% of all public transport journeys in the European Union –  32,1 billion passenger journeys per year – are made by urban and sub-urban buses.

Every year, ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, publishes a Pocket Guide to provide a clear and comprehensive overview of the automotive industry. The Guide contains the latest data on employment, vehicle production and sales, trade flows, the vehicle fleet, road safety, the environment, innovation, and taxation.