Britain second for road safety in Europe

8 May, 2014 12:37pm Chris Ebbs

Great Britain's roads are among Europe's safest, even as car deaths halved across the EU - but more can be done

The number of car occupants killed on EU roads has more than halved in a decade – but further moves must be made to cut it further, says a new report.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) found that around 240,000 people were killed in collisions between 2001 and 2012, with annual numbers falling from 27,700 in 2001 to 12,345 in 2012. The body put the cut down to increased traffic offence enforcement, improved driver and passenger protection and, to a lesser extent, better infrastructure.

However, while the panel praised the reduction, it revealed that car occupant deaths still represented nearly half of road fatalities between 2010 and 2012. The number of deaths decreased across all countries, with Spain and Latvia showing the biggest reductions.

The ETSC also praised progress made by Great Britain, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands – now considered the safest countries for car occupant deaths per billion vehicle km travelled (see above). But languishing at the other end of the table were Poland, Latvia and the Czech Republic.

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Antonio Avenoso, executive director of ETSC, said: “While huge progress has been made in cutting the number of people killed, it’s wrong that 12,000 die every year for mostly avoidable reasons.”

The report claimed that if all cars had belt reminders fitted to all seats, 900 more people would be saved every year. Zero tolerance on drink-driving would save 5,600 deaths annually, and a cut in the speed limit by 1km/h a further 1,300. It also suggested a tax incentive for the purchase and use of five-star Euro NCAP cars and models equipped with Intelligent Speed Assistance, alcohol interlocks and seatbelt reminders.

“Simple measures such as belt reminders in front and rear passenger seats, better enforcement of speed limits plus measures to prevent repeat drink-drivers from getting behind the wheel could put the EU’s target of halving the number of road deaths by 2020 firmly within reach,” Avenoso added.

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Submitted by Truvelo on Thu, 2014-05-08 13:44.

12,000 a year. Huge frightening number. Makes me very sad.

Submitted by Miguel on Fri, 2014-05-09 10:34.

Portugal is worst than Latvia!!

Submitted by C L Hope on Fri, 2014-05-09 12:24.

I thought Italy was real bad or atleast one of the worse !

Submitted by WesternYeoman on Sat, 2014-05-10 18:14.

Hysteria comes to mind.

12k pa, when you consider the number of journeys with cars, lorries, motorcycles & scooters etc done each day, perfectly safely over the entire EU.

Perhaps we should be asking how many of the deaths were of their own making, such as drink driving, DUI of medication or other substances, gibbering on a mobile phone, texting on a mobile phone, doing illegal turns, overtaking illegally, not paying attention & so on.

So 12k pa over the whole lot is an incredibly small number in the grand scale of things.

Submitted by WesternYeoman on Sat, 2014-05-10 18:17.

Don't try an mention the word drugs, the little Hitler of a mod doesn't like it, never mind if it's used in the correct context.

Submitted by dadarse on Sat, 2014-05-10 18:19.

'a cut in the speed limit by 1km/h a further 1,300.' - if this is not a typo, then it is pretty ridiculous. How is the figure calculated and how would you enforce a 1km/h speed limit reduction?

Submitted by Hysterical on Mon, 2014-05-12 07:29.

Crass. 12,000 deaths regardless of circumstances, may be a small number in relation to journeys made but still leaves hundreds of thousands of needlessly grieving people, parent lose their children, children lose their parents etc.

It's not hysteria, it's empathy and not being dead inside. "I'm alright Jack".

If you are involved in a fatal accident it will change your life forever even if you are not the victim. If you have any humanity at all.

Submitted by Fishcake on Mon, 2014-05-12 09:38.

It's part of the whole lack of thinking that is going into road safety and the current focus on speed limits which is resulting in a failure to improve things much more and is costing lives. More attention needs to be paid to all aspects of bad driving. Road safety organisations like BRAKE are costing lives unnecessarily because of their obsession with speed limits.

Submitted by WesternYeoman on Mon, 2014-05-12 10:56.

I know what it's like to kill, I have done so in my work, so don't you even go there you patronising oink!

I took a mans head off, his arm & leg off.

I had to face the family in a coroners court as well. So wind your neck in.

Submitted by Jason on Wed, 2014-05-14 18:30.

Bit pointless, taking his arm and leg off, when you have already removed the head, still what goes around comes around, maybe you will have a motorway accident and add to that 12,000+ total.