In the pan-European Region, every year road traffic injuries (RTIs) kill about 127,000 people, injure at least some 2.4 million and are the leading cause of death for children and young people aged 5-29. In particular, about 30% of road crash victims are aged 15–29 years.

The socioeconomic cost – much of which is borne by the health sector – is estimated to be about 2% of a country’s gross domestic product. For European Union countries alone, this means about €180 billion – twice the Union’s annual budget.

Injuries are unevenly distributed, both geographically and within countries

Mortality from traffic accidents varies widely across the European Region, with a difference between lowest and highest rates of up to six times. In particular, within the 25 members of the European Union, mortality rates from road traffic injuries for children aged 15 or less range from 1.23 to 6.9 per 100,000 population.

Low- and middle-income countries in Southern and Eastern Europe are more severely affected than Western European countries. Deaths and injuries are likely to rise even further as the number of vehicles on the roads increases. There is also a gradient within countries, with a clear relationship between the lower social class and more injuries among child pedestrians.

Two-wheel users and pedestrians bear the highest risk among road users

Pedestrians and cyclists account for about 20% of those involved in serious accidents in the pan-European region, but their risk of death or injury is disproportionately higher compared to car users. In the EU, the fatality risk for people using motorized two-wheeled vehicles is the highest of all modes of transport: on average, 20 times that of car occupants. In 1997, pedestrians and cyclists deaths were 33% (about 40,000 deaths per year) of all victims of road crashes, although they represent only 22% of the people involved in serious car crashes.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists also usually suffer the most severe injuries as a result of road traffic collisions, reporting more continuing health problems that require more assistance.

Some facts for the European Union (15)

• Reducing the average driving speed by 3 km/h would save around 5,000-6,000 lives each year and would prevent 120,000-140,000 crashes, saving €20 billion in crash costs. By contrast, raising the speed from 30 km/h to 50 km/h increases a pedestrian's risk of being killed in a car crash eightfold.
• Road crashes comprise 97% of all transport crash deaths and more than 93% of all transport crash costs and are the leading cause of death and hospital admission for people younger than 50 years.
• The risk of death per kilometre travelled is 20 times higher for motorcyclists than for car users. The fatality risk for cyclists and pedestrians is 7–9 times higher than that for car users.
• Road traffic injuries are an important cause of death not only for professional drivers but also for commuters. For example, road traffic crashes accounted for about 41% of all workplace fatalities reported in the EU in 1999.