Cyprus recorded a 13.5% decrease in road deaths between 2019 and 2025, the 12th largest in the EU-27, according to the 20th annual published today by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), also noting, however, that in 2025, Cyprus saw a 9.8% increase in road traffic fatalities.
In terms of road deaths per capita, the report notes that Cyprus dropped to 16th place among the 27 EU member states in 2025, down from 14th place in 2024, while Cyprus recorded a road fatality rate per capita of 46 in 2025, with the EU-27 rate standing at 43.
Furthermore, Cyprus has recorded a significantly better reduction in serious injuries during the period 2015-2025, at 29.2%, which was the 7th highest in the EU24
The report published today presents general road safety data as of the end of 2025 for the 27 member states of the European Union (EU27), as well as for Switzerland, Norway, Serbia, and the United Kingdom.
As noted, the Road Safety PIN program marks its 20th anniversary this year since its launch in 2006. Over the course of these two decades, it has become one of the most influential road safety tools, comparing the performance of the 31 participating countries, with the 20th annual report assessing progress toward achieving the EU’s goal of reducing both road deaths and serious injuries by 50% from 2020 to 2030, and reviews recent developments in EU policies that will help determine whether the target is being met.
‘It is estimated that around 19,500 people lost their lives on the roads of the EU-27 in 2025 and more than 100,000 were seriously injured. Unfortunately, there was only a very small decrease in fatalities-just 2.3%-compared to 2024. Cyprus recorded a 9.8% increase,’ the report notes.
It is added that compared to 2019-the base year for the 2030 European target-only 24 of the 31 countries participating in the RIN recorded a decrease in road traffic fatalities by 2025, while the remaining 7 saw an increase in road fatalities.
It is noted that during this period, there was only a 14.6% reduction in road fatalities in the EU-27, a figure that falls far short of the 31% reduction that would have been required to meet the EU’s target of a 50% reduction by 2030, with Cyprus recording a 13.5% decrease in road fatalities during this period, which was the 12th largest in the EU-27.
‘Despite slow progress, more than 31,000 lives have been saved in the EU-27 over the past decade. And if the reduction in road fatalities had been in line with the 2030 target, an additional 42,900 lives would have been saved. The ETSC estimates the additional economic benefit to European societies at pound 77 billion,’ the report notes.
It is also stated that the EU-27 recorded a 20.2% reduction in traffic fatalities over the past decade, while Cyprus achieved a 21.1% reduction-the 16th largest-while in terms of traffic fatalities per capita, Cyprus fell to 16th place among the 27 EU member states in 2025, down from 14th place in 2024. Cyprus also recorded a road fatality rate per capita of 46 in 2025, while the EU-27 rate was 43.
‘The reduction in serious road injuries during the 2015-2025 period in the 24 EU member states (EU24) that provided data was even more modest. During this period, a decrease of only 12.9% was recorded. Cyprus has recorded a significantly better reduction in serious injuries during this period, at 29.2%, which was the 7th highest in the EU24,’ the report continues
According to the report, the annual ‘2026 Road Safety PIN Award’ is presented to Denmark for its long-standing progress in road safety, which reduced road fatalities by 31.7% from 2019 to 2025-the second-best performance in the EU27. Furthermore, in 2025, Denmark ranked third highest in the EU-27 in terms of road fatalities per capita, with a rate of 23.
‘The EU is moving at two speeds when it comes to road safety. Some countries are moving toward achieving the goal of a 50% reduction in road deaths and serious injuries by the end of the decade, while most countries appear to be falling short, and the EU as a whole is off track. ‘None of this is inevitable; it reflects the choices made by governments,’ the ETSC points out.
The report sets out a series of recommendations from the ETSC to the member states and the European Commission.
Specifically, it calls on member states to adopt and implement the ‘Safe System’ approach for road safety, managing all elements of the road transport system in an integrated manner and adopting an approach of shared overall responsibility and accountability between system designers and road users.
It also recommends seeking to accelerate progress by all available means, including the implementation of proven-effective strategies for enforcing relevant laws, in accordance with the European Commission’s Recommendation on Law Enforcement (2004/345), as well as the provision of adequate public funding to enable the establishment of targeted measures and the introduction of procedures for funding and providing incentives at the regional and local levels.
Furthermore, it recommends accelerating the collection of data on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) included in the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 and setting specific quantitative targets.
Accordingly, it calls on to the European Commission that, following the adoption of the ‘Safe System’ approach in the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030, to ensure that this approach is implemented in a comprehensive manner, in coordination with all Directorates-General (DGs) of the European Commission, as well as the creation of a new European Agency to support safe, smart, and sustainable transport.
Regarding the implementation of the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021 -2030 on Road Safety, it recommends scaling up road safety actions in light of the conclusions of the interim evaluation report on the framework’s implementation and continuing to support Member States in collecting harmonized data on KPIs and on serious injuries classified as MAIS3+ according to hospital criteria.
It also recommends encouraging Member States, through a formal European recommendation, to set safe speed limits in accordance with the ‘Safe System’ approach, for the various road categories, such as 30 km/h for urban roads, 70 km/h for rural roads without a median strip, and a maximum speed of 120 km/h or less on highways, as well as the implementation of best practices in law enforcement (police patrols).