Number of Road Deaths in Bulgaria Remains Significantly Higher than EU Average

The number of road fatalities in Bulgaria, Romania and Greece remains significantly above the European Union average, underlining the need for stronger action in those countries, according to a report by the European Commission presented today, February 16.

Since 2019, road deaths across the European Union have fallen by 12 per cent, though progress varies widely between member states. Only Bulgaria, Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovenia are currently on track to meet the target of reducing road deaths by 50 per cent by 2030, the document adds.

The report notes that while the EU recorded an average of 45 road deaths per million inhabitants last year, the figure in Bulgaria stood at 74. In 2019, the EU average was 51 per million, compared with around 90 per million in Bulgaria.

In 2024, some 19,900 people were killed in road accidents across the EU — 440 fewer than in 2023. Taking into account the increase in vehicle ownership and total distance travelled, this represents a significant achievement, the report states. Each year, close to 20,000 people die on EU roads, while up to 100,000 suffer life-changing injuries.

The cost of road accidents in the EU is estimated at around two per cent of annual GDP. The Commission stresses that road safety should be a pillar of the bloc’s economic competitiveness, as it directly affects the movement of goods and labour as well as companies’ operating costs.

European car manufacturers and their supplier networks are leaders in developing advanced safety technologies, and the EU has set itself the goal of eliminating road deaths entirely by 2050, the report notes.

Road safety challenges are becoming increasingly complex, influenced by demographic change, technological transition, environmental change and in modes of travel, it concludes.

Source: BTA