What is happening on the European roads?

The 2025 road safety report for European roads shows a positive, albeit modest, improvement.

The number of road deaths decreased by 3% compared to the previous year, reaching approximately 19,400 fatalities. This represents more than 500 lives saved in a single year, an encouraging signal that reflects the efforts made across Europe in prevention, infrastructure, and regulation.

However, this overall improvement should not obscure some concerning realities. Vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, remain particularly exposed, especially in urban areas. In 2025, nearly 70% of urban accidents involved these groups, highlighting the need to strengthen protection measures and further adapt infrastructure to evolving mobility patterns.

These results underline a key challenge: accelerating efforts to improve safety for all, particularly in cities where different modes of transport increasingly share the road. Technological innovation, road-sharing strategies, user awareness, and targeted public policies will be critical in the years ahead.

In this context, the European objective of reducing road deaths by 50% appears ambitious given the current pace of progress. Nevertheless, it provides a clear direction and a unifying goal: making roads safer for everyone.