The Commission has just published an action plan whose objective is to reduce by half the number killed on European roads between now and 2010. In 2001, the numbers of people who died on the roads in the EU15 and the 12 candidate countries were 40 000 and 14 000 respectively.
Taking into account the size of the countries, a first set of comparisons can be made.
On average in the CEEC, for each million inhabitants 138 people die every year on the roads, compared with 105 in the current Union. In other words, in an enlarged Europe, this average would increase by approximately 6%.
The probability of ending ones life on a road is highest in the Baltic States, with Latvia at the top of the list. Poland follows with 143 deaths per million inhabitants (and a total of 5500). Malta, Romania and Slovakia bring down the regional average.
The situation is improving slowly, in spite of the rise in the number of cars on the roads throughout Europe.
In the space of 10 years, the number of private vehicles per 1000 inhabitants rose by 80% in the CEEC, as compared with a rise of approximately 30% on the EU side. The three Baltic States, together with Romania, recorded the most dynamic rates with, from north to south, 122%, 124, 142 and 127% respectively.
In the space of 8 years, fatalities on the roads of the Union fell by approximately 20% and by 15% on the candidate side. The prize goes to Slovenia with 45% fewer deaths between 1993 and 2001. This decrease has been particularly noticeable over the last 4 years in Central and Eastern Europe, except in Latvia and Lithuania.In terms of speed limits, no significant differences can be observed between the 15 and the candidates, alcohol tolerance being zero in a number of the CEEC.
For more analyses, see the
enlargement website of DREE.