Great news! The latest edition of our newsletter is out and the finalists for our Excellence in Road Safety Awards 2023 have been announced!
Thank you for sending all your wonderful initiatives, it's inspiring to see the continued enthusiasm for Road Safety in Europe! Our judging panel has reviewed each application; details can be found in our newsletter.
European Road Safety Charter member, the Roads of Mazovia Foundation, has launched an exciting and impactful fundraising initiative: the “The Warsaw-Paris Bike Rally”, taking place in the run up to the 2024 Summer Olympics. The project founder, Adam Sobiera, is aiming to cycle a total of 1,850km to raise funds for children in Mazovia, Poland, particularly those in social care.
In the 8th March the Commission published preliminary figures on road fatalities for 2023. Around 20,400 people were killed in road crashes in the EU last year, a small 1% decrease on 2022. Despite some progress since the baseline year of 20191, few Member States are on track to meet the target of halving the number of road deaths by 2030.
EU-wide, road deaths in 2023 fell by 1% on the previous year. While this represents around 2,360 fewer fatalities (-10%) compared with 2019, the downward trend has flatlined in several Member States.
Protective equipment such as helmets, seatbelts and child restraint systems have been shown to be very effective in protecting road users from death or serious injury. If used correctly, motorcycle helmets can reduce fatal crashes by around 40% and the chance of severe head injury by almost 70%. Similarly, bicycle helmets can reduce fatal injury to the head or brain by 71% on average. Seatbelts are shown to reduce the risk of fatal incidents by 60% for occupants in the front of a vehicle and 44% for those in the rear.
Drivers who have been drinking are 15 times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than sober drivers. This is among the statistics presented in the European Road Safety Observatory’s new thematic report on driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Around 25% of all road deaths in the EU are alcohol-related.
The crash risk associated with drugs depends on the type of drug. Of all illegal drugs, the risk is greatest - at least 5 times higher - if someone has taken amphetamines, multiple drugs, or alcohol combined with drugs.
The proposal for a European Declaration on Cycling, adopted by the European Commission on 4 October 2023, recognises cycling as a sustainable, accessible and inclusive, affordable and healthy means of transport, with strong added value for the EU economy. It lists principles to boost cycling that will guide future action in the EU.
Entries for our 2023 awards are now OPEN!
Do you have a road safety project or initiative that you think deserves EU-wide recognition? Apply now to win a prestigious Excellence in Road Safety Award. Your award application will not only put you in with a chance to win a prestigious European award, but it will also help us to share good practices from across Europe.
You can inspire others and help build greater momentum towards our Vision Zero goal – reducing road deaths to almost zero by 2050.
