Cyprus marked the second biggest reduction in the number of serious road injuries in the EU during the period 2010-2015.
According to the annual safety report of ETSC – European Transport Safety Council, issued in June 2016, Cyprus marked a 35,7% decrease in serious injuries and 26,7% in road fatalities.
A statement issued by the Cyprus Police said 26,300 people lost their lives on EU roads in 2015 compared to 25,970 in 2014, representing an increase of 1%. Out of the 32 countries monitored by the PIN Programme, as many as 22 (including Cyprus) saw an increase in the number of road deaths between 2014 and 2015 while progress stagnated in one country. Only 9 countries registered a drop. The best reductions were reached in Norway, where the number of road deaths decreased by 20%, followed by Estonia and Ireland with 14% cuts between 2014-2015.
Across the EU28, road deaths were down by 17% between 2010 and 2015 which is equivalent to a 3.6% average annual reduction. A 6.7% year-to-year reduction is needed over the 2010-2020 period to reach the target through constant progress in annual percentage terms. Yet the increase in 2015 means that the number of road deaths has to be reduced at a much faster average pace of about 9.7% each year between 2016 and 2020 for the EU to be on track for the target.
