Sweden has the lowest traffic fatality rate in the EU, according to new figures from the European Commission.
At the bottom of the list are Bulgaria and Romania with around four times as many deaths per capita.
European roads are the safest in the world, the European Commission has stated. Despite this, 25,300 people died in traffic accidents in Europe last year. On an EU average, this corresponds to 49 people per million inhabitants. However, the proportion is far less than that in the global statistics: 1.3 million people, with an average corresponding to 174 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Of all EU countries, the highest proportion of people dying in traffic is in Romania, and the lowest proportion is in Sweden. Although Sweden has been at the top when it comes to road safety for many years, the number of traffic-related deaths fell further in 2017 compared to the previous year.
”It depends on a combination of vehicles, road users and the traffic environment,” says Lars Ekman, a road safety expert at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Cars have become safer over the years, people are also more likely to use seat belts and child seats. In line with the zero vision, which was adopted by the Riksdag over 20 years ago, the Swedish road network is also adorned with roundabouts and 2+1 roads like never before.
”"In principle, we eliminate fatal accidents on highways with median separation," says Lars Ekman.
When it comes to traffic infrastructure, it's about designing tactically. If a pole must be placed so that it runs the risk of being hit, the design must be such that the pole breaks instead of killing the person in the car.
”"It's not that we're striving for an accident-free traffic environment. That's impossible. However, a crash should have reasonable consequences. It may be reasonable for someone who falls asleep at the wheel and drives into a ditch to have to pay for a new car, but it's not reasonable to have the death penalty for making such a mistake."”
Within the EU, traffic-related deaths have more than halved since 2001. At the same time, a total of 135,000 people were injured in the EU in 2017, and the socio-economic costs for this are estimated to amount to the equivalent of SEK 1,234 billion.
The EU has previously adopted the goal of reducing traffic fatalities by 50 percent from 2010 figures – 31,500 fatalities – by 2020. This now looks very difficult to achieve.
In 2018, the European Commission will present new road safety targets that are intended to be achieved during 2020-2030.
Source: TT
