Automobile News

Despite the sinking number of traffic deaths in Europe, the EU goal of halving the amount of traffic accident victims by 2010 hardly seems achievable at all. Only France with a 43% decrease in traffic fatalities compared to 2001, Luxembourg with 42% decrease and Portugal with a 38% decrease, even stand a chance of meeting the EU’s goal. A few other countries, including Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland, could realistically meet the goal by 2013, while the UK and Eastern Europe remain far behind.

In 2001, the EU set the goal of reducing the amount of traffic accidents deaths by 50%, or not exceeding 25,000, by 2010. A total of 43,000 people died on European roads in 2007, which is a 20% decline when compared to 2001. The average European road mortality rate at 87 deaths per one million people, is actually better than the rate of other industrialized countries, such as the US with 142 deaths per million. However, not all of Europe has uniform road safety rates, as the worst EU offender Lithuania’s rate of 218 deaths per million, is worse than the US’ rate.