Fatal accidents in the EU: which countries "lead" in the number of deaths and where are the safest roads?
Kyiv • UNN
According to a European Commission study, 46 road fatalities per million inhabitants were recorded in the EU in 2023. The highest mortality rates are observed in the southeastern regions, particularly in Bulgaria, Greece, France, and Romania.
The highest number of fatal accidents in the EU is recorded in the countries of the southeastern regions. According to the latest study by the European Commission, fatal road accidents in EU countries were relatively evenly distributed, while statistics identified countries with the safest and least safe roads for drivers, UNN reports.
Details
Road mortality rates are higher in the southeastern regions of the EU.
The highest regional road mortality rates were recorded in the following countries:
- Bulgaria - the Severozapaden region had the highest rate in the EU – 166 road deaths per million inhabitants; the neighboring Severen tsentralen region also had a high rate (107 deaths per million inhabitants).
- Greece – the island regions of Ionia Nisia (120 deaths per million inhabitants) and Notio Aigaio (119 deaths per million inhabitants).
- France – the outermost region of Guiana (117 deaths per million inhabitants).
- Romania – South-West Oltenia (107 deaths per million inhabitants) and South-East (102 deaths per million inhabitants).
The new report refers to 2023 data:
It states that 46 road fatalities per million inhabitants were registered in the EU.
Road fatalities were relatively evenly distributed among EU regions:
- 123 out of 234 regions (52.6% of all regions) reported a rate above the EU average;
- 7 regions reported an exact EU average rate;
- 104 had a rate below average.
Lowest mortality rates among EU countries
The best and safest places are in the northwest of the EU.
- Brussels in Belgium (5 road fatalities per million inhabitants).
- Vienna in Austria (6 road fatalities per million inhabitants).
- Berlin in Germany (9 road fatalities per million inhabitants).
Recall
In Ukraine, in the first three months of 2025, 9,574 road accidents occurred, in which 1,252 people died and 11,751 people were injured.