The European Commission published preliminary data on the state of road safety for 2025, according to which about 19,400 people lost their lives on the roads of the European Union last year. Compared to the year before, there was a decrease of 3%, which means that 580 lives were saved compared to 2024. This result is considered a significant achievement, especially if you take into account the continuous increase in the number of vehicles and the total number of kilometers traveled on European roads.
Regional differences
Despite the positive trend at the level of the Union, the progress is extremely uneven among the member states. While Estonia with a 38% drop and Greece with a 22% drop achieved impressive results, only five countries – Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Poland and Romania – are currently on track to achieve the EU’s set goal of reducing the number of deaths by 50% by 2030. On the other hand, Croatia is still in the group of countries with the highest death rates, alongside Romania and Bulgaria, while Sweden and Denmark still have the safest roads.
Statistics show that rural roads are still the most deadly, as they account for 53% of all deaths. Highways, with a share of 8%, remained the safest segment of the transport infrastructure. A special challenge is presented by urban areas where as many as 70% of victims are unprotected road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and users of personal transport. Most of these accidents occur in interactions with cars and trucks.
Vulnerable groups
When it comes to the profile of victims, the data for 2025 confirm a deep gender imbalance, as men make up as much as 77% of all fatalities. There is also growing concern about the high proportion of young people aged 18 to 24 and people over 65. It is estimated that for every person who dies there are five seriously injured, which implies that every year around 100,000 people in the EU suffer permanent and severe physical consequences.
The structure of mortality according to the type of participant shows that drivers and passengers in cars make up 44% of the victims, while motorcyclists and moped riders make up 21%. Pedestrians are represented by 18%, and cyclists by 9%. Although users of devices for personal mobility, such as electric scooters, make up only 1% of the total statistics, the European Commission warns of a worrying trend of growth in the number of deaths in this category from 2021 to 2024.
In a report on the implementation of road safety policy for 2026, the Commission emphasizes that “vision zero” – the goal of zero fatalities by 2050 – remains a priority. Although considerable progress has been made, the current rate of mortality reduction is assessed as insufficient. The need for sustained efforts at all levels of government is emphasized in order to turn the ambitious plans for 2030 into reality.