A 36.6% reduction in road deaths was recorded in Cyprus during the period 2011 & # 8211; 2021 according to the annual Road Safety Performance Index published on Wednesday by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a non-governmental organization aiming to reduce road deaths and injuries in the EU.
A total of 19,823 people lost their lives on the roads of the European Union in 2021, compared to 28,865 road deaths in 2011, down 31%.
The largest reduction in road deaths at EU level was recorded in the period 2011-2014 with 16%. In the next five years 2015-2019 there was only a small decrease of 7%.
In 2020, due to the restrictions imposed to deal with the pandemic, the number of road deaths decreased by 17% compared to with 2019. However In 2021, however, an increase of 5% was recorded compared to 2020 in parallel with the gradual easing of restrictions.
According to estimates presented in the press release accompanying the report, if the numbers remained at the levels of 2011 then 57,095 more road deaths would be recorded in the last decade. According to the same estimates, the economic benefit for European societies from this reduction amounts to 64 billion euros.
In terms of road deaths by population, in 2021 the Cyprus rose to 17th place among the 27 Member States from 21st in 2020.
Cyprus recorded a road death rate in a population ratio of 50.2 in 2021, while the EU27 index was 44.6.
In the decade 2011 & # 8211; In 2021 there was a very small reduction in serious road injuries at EU level. By 2019 the numbers had remained almost unchanged and in 2020 there was a sharp decrease of 13% compared to 2019, due to measures to address the pandemic. In 2021 the serious injuries remained approximately stable, recording a decrease of 0.5% compared to 2020.
In Cyprus, however, a significant reduction of serious injuries was recorded from 2011 to 2021 with 55%, which was the 3rd highest in the EU27, after those of Greece and Romania.
Finally, it is reported that the organization awards the 2022 Road Safety PIN Award in Lithuania for the significant progress made in the last ten years in the field of road safety. It is the only Member State to halve road deaths compared to 2011.
