New European road safety target set for 2030

A new road safety target has been set for 2030. The 1116 European Union transport ministers have agreed to aim at halving the number of serious injuries on roads in the EU by 2030 from their 2020 level. Ministers have endorsed the Valletta declaration aimed at improving road safety. The ministers also called on the 2465 European Commission to come forward with a new road safety strategy for the decade 2020-2030.

Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the 5801 European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC) said, “We warmly welcome today’s commitment to a long term target to tackle deaths and, for the first time, serious injuries on EU roads. But if the EU is serious about meeting this goal, meaningful measures are needed now. EU vehicle safety standards have not been updated since 2009 despite rapid advances in technology that can help drivers keep within speed limits and avoid collisions. Every day of delay will lead to more unnecessary deaths and serious injuries on our roads."

During 2016, 25,500 people died on EU roads, a figure virtually unchanged in three years. In addition, the European Commission estimates that more than 135,000 suffer serious injuries/year.