Ireland is a great place to travel! A recent study conducted by Vignetteswitzerland.com/fr revealed that the green Erin is one of Europe’s safest countries in terms of road safety. The sharp drop in fatalities since 2012 makes it one of the best performers in the European Union, while other countries are seeing their dangerousness literally explode!
The Vignettes switzerland.com study, based on data from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), has carried out an in-depth analysis of fatal accident statistics in each European country in 2022.
The study ranked 32 European countries according to the number of road deaths per million inhabitants.
And the verdict is unanimous: Ireland has seen a marked improvement in traffic conditions, making the island one of the safest states in Europe. This situation can be explained by effective public policies.
Ireland stands out, with just 30.83 deaths per million inhabitants in 2022, a 13.32% reduction since 2012. This outstanding performance can be attributed to several key factors: modern, well-maintained road infrastructure, regular awareness campaigns targeting all road users (motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists), and compulsory ongoing training for drivers to promote good reflexes.
However, Norway remains at the top of the list of safest countries, with a record rate of just 21.38 deaths per million inhabitants in 2022. This already very low figure has fallen by a further 26.48% over the past 10 years, demonstrating the steadfastness of the Norwegian authorities’ prevention efforts. Their overall strategy is based on the development of a highly secure road network, tighter controls and severe penalties for infringements.
As the table below shows, several Eastern and Southern European countries still have extremely high accident rates. Romania is well ahead, with 95.62 deaths per million inhabitants in 2022.
Behind them, Serbia (95.01) and Bulgaria (82.62) complete the podium of the most dangerous countries. Although the general trend over the last decade has been downward, the reduction in the number of road deaths is not fast enough in these countries to meet the European target of halving the number of deaths by 2030.
| Rank | Country | Number of road deaths per million inhabitants (2012) | Number of road deaths per million inhabitants (2022) | Percentage change 2012-2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania | 95.62 | 85.81 | -10-26% |
| 2 | Serbia | 95.01 | 82.65 | -13.01% |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 82.62 | 77.64 | -6.02% |
| 4 | Croatia | 91.91 | 71.20 | -22.53% |
| 5 | Portugal | 68.11 | 62.30 | -8.53% |
| 6 | Greece | 87.51 | 60.71 | -30.63% |
| 7 | Latvia | 86.69 | 60.24 | -30.51% |
| 8 | Luxembourg | 64.78 | 55.78 | -13.89% |
| 9 | Hungary | 60.76 | 55.22 | -9.12% |
| 10 | Italy | 61.71 | 53.70 | -12.97% |
| 11 | Poland | 92.66 | 50.35 | -45.66% |
| 12 | Rep. Czech | 70.63 | 50.11 | -29.05% |
| 13 | Malta | 21.56 | 49.91 | -131.52% |
| 14 | France | 57.61 | 48.05 | -16.59% |
| 15 | Slovakia | 54.77 | 44.90 | -18.03% |
| 16 | Belarus | 74.54 | 44.85 | -39.84% |
| 17 | Lithuania | 100.41 | 42.77 | -57.41% |
| 18 | Netherlands | 38.85 | 41.90 | 7.84% |
| 19 | Austria | 62.89 | 41.21 | -34.48% |
| 20 | Cyprus | 59.16 | 40.90 | -30.87% |
| 21 | Slovenia | 63.25 | 40.34 | -36.22% |
| 22 | Estonia | 64.94 | 37.54 | -42.19% |
| 23 | Spain | 41.19 | 37.08 | -9.98% |
| 24 | Israel | 37.82 | 36.61 | -3.18% |
| 25 | Finland | 47.21 | 34.43 | -27.08% |
| 26 | Germany | 44.00 | 33.35 | -24.20% |
| 27 | Republic of Ireland | 35.57 | 30.83 | -13.32% |
| 28 | Switzerland | 42.62 | 27.58 | -35.29% |
| 29 | Denmark | 29.93 | 26.22 | -12.38% |
| 30 | United Kingdom | 28.61 | 25.89 | -9.51% |
| 31 | Sweden | 30.05 | 21.72 | -27.74% |
| 32 | Norway | 29.08 | 21.38 | -26.48% |
In conclusion, while undeniable progress has been made thanks to the combined efforts of Member States and European bodies, concerted action is still required to win the “war” against road insecurity.
Ireland seems to have understood this. Its restrictive drink-driving policy, fine system and awareness programs seem to have been highly effective.
In addition, road and infrastructure improvements, as well as the modernization of the vehicle fleet, have had a major impact on road safety.
As for poor performers, public awareness campaigns need to be run on an ongoing basis to change attitudes and behavior. Because, in the final analysis, people are at the heart of the problem. Only a collective awareness will enable us to achieve the goal of a lasting reduction in the number of deaths on Europe’s roads.
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