By Shile GIWA
The European Commission (EU) on Thursday, said about 25,100 people died on EU roads in 2018, 1 per cent down from the previous year.
The commission noted that one of the four key factors in causing road accident was the use of media such as mobile phones in cars.
The European Union has a goal to reduce the number of road deaths in the decade leading up to 2020 by half.
So far, the figure has fallen by just 21 per cent since 2010.
In spite of this, EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc said it was still “possible” for the bloc to reach its long-term goal of zero road deaths by 2050.
Bulc referred among other things to a new list of compulsory safety features to be fitted in cars from 2022.
“Britain was the safest member state in 2018 with 28 road deaths per million inhabitants, followed by Denmark with 30 deaths and Ireland and the Netherlands, 3 deaths,’’ the commission said.
The highest fatality rates were recorded in Romania, with 96 deaths per million inhabitants and in Bulgaria where in spite of a 9-per-cent drop year-on-year, 88 people per million inhabitants died in road accidents in 2018.
“The four key factors in road fatalities are speed, the use of drugs or alcohol, failure to use seatbelt and the use of media in cars,’’ Bulc said, without elaborating further.
Just over half of fatal accidents occurred in rural areas in 2018 with pedestrians making up 40 per cent of those killed.
The worst hit age group comprises people of over 65 years. =====Dpa
