With 42 road deaths per 1 million inhabitants in 2020, Luxembourg is right in line with the EU average. Compared to its direct neighbours, the Grand Duchy does better than Belgium (44 deaths per one million inhabitants in 2020), but worse than France (39) and Germany (33).
But Luxembourg's figures are subject to significant annual fluctuations given the small size of the Grand Duchy's population.
Thus, while the number of deaths rose by 18% in 2020, this figure follows a large decline of 39% in 2019, reaching its lowest figure on record. Over the longer-term, the total number of deaths has fallen by 19% since 2010.
"With almost 4,000 fewer deaths on EU roads in 2020 compared to 2019, our roads remain the safest in the world", said European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean. In the previous decade (2010 to 2020), the number of fatalities fell by 36%. As such, with 42 deaths per million inhabitants, the EU remains the continent with the safest roads in the world. In comparison, the world average is over 180.
According to provisional figures, 18 member countries had historically low fatalities in 2020. EU-wide, fatalities fell by an average of 17% compared to 2019, although this decrease was far from uniform, with the largest decreases (of 20% or more) being recorded in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Malta, and Slovenia.
In contrast, five Member States (Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Finland) recorded an increase in deaths, although the number of deaths tends to fluctuate from year to year in the smaller countries.
Between 2010 and 2020, the number of deaths on Europe's roads fell by 36%, which is below the EU target of 50%. Only Greece (54%) has exceeded the target. It is followed by Croatia (44%), Spain (44%), Portugal (43%), Italy (42%), and Slovenia (42%). In total, nine Member States recorded decreases of 40% or more.
While the unprecedented development in 2020 has led to some changes in the ranking of fatality rates by country, Sweden continues to have the safest roads (18 deaths per one million), while Romania (85) had the highest rate in 2020. The EU average was 42 per one million.
The decrease in traffic volumes due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had an obvious, although not measurable, impact on the number of road fatalities. However, preliminary data show that in the United States, for example, fatalities increased in 2020 despite the decrease in traffic volumes. Available data from some EU countries also show an increase in risk-taking, including speeding, during lockdown periods.
