The number of road deaths in the European Union rose by 3% last year as more people hit the road following decreased concerns over the coronavirus, preliminary data released on Tuesday showed.
Deaths were already up between 2020 and 2021. However compared to the pre-virus year of 2019, road deaths were down by 10% to about 20,600 in 2022.
But the picture varied widely between rural and urban road deaths. Based on 2021 data - detailed 2022 data is not yet available - 52% of road fatalities occurred on rural roads, 39% in urban areas and 9% on motorways.
Car occupants accounted for 45% of the deaths while pedestrians made up 18%, users of powered two-wheelers such as motorbikes and mopeds 19% and cyclists 9%.
But in cities it was much different.
There, pedestrians, cyclists and users of two-wheeled vehicles accounted for just under 70% of deaths. Urban road user fatalities occur overwhelmingly in crashes involving cars and trucks and thus highlight the need to improve the protection of vulnerable road users, the report said.
While more cyclists are welcome for fitness and environmental reasons, this is the only road user group not to see a significant drop in fatalities over the last decade.
Preliminary figures in France, for instance, showed a 30% increase in cycling road deaths compared to 2019. A lack of well-equipped infrastructure is seen as a key cause.
As for the overall figures of deaths per 1 million inhabitants, Romania had the highest level (86 per million) followed by Bulgaria (78 per million).
The safest roads are in Sweden, with 21 deaths per 1 million inhabitants and Denmark, with 26.
In 2018, the EU set itself the goal of halving the number of road traffic deaths by 2030.
