Euro roads a safer bet at last

Road safety in what were once Europe’s holiday accident blackspots has improved dramatically

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Number of road fatalities in Europe has fallen, a new report reveals

19th June 2007

Countries that had poor reputations as hotspot death-traps have cleaned up their act, improving high- ways and enforcing speed limits.

And while few are as safe as the UK, European watchdogs believe popular destinations for Brits – such as France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Germany – have been most successful at reducing accident rates. An estimated 9,000 lives have been saved in the last five years.

At only 25 fatalities per million in 2006, Malta tops the safety charts. Britain’s figure is 56, while France is 75, Spain 85 and Portugal 91. The statistics, published this week by the European Union, also reveal that at 223, Lithuania’s rate is nearly four times greater than the UK’s, while Latvia and Estonia are three times worse at 177 and 152 respectively. A European Transport Safety Council spokeswoman said: “The EU can help by setting high common standards for police enforcement.”