The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) urged the European Union to act urgently to combat pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, on the occasion of the publication of a new ETSC report on Thursday 30 January.
While indicating that at least 51,300 pedestrians and 19,450 cyclists were killed on EU roads between 2010 and 2018, the report highlights a lack of progress in improving the safety of vulnerable road users.
The ETSC thus reveals that, while the number of deaths among motor vehicle occupants fell by an average of 3.1% per year over this period, the number of deaths among cyclists fell by an average of only 0.4% per year, i.e. eight times less quickly.
The report says that, while these figures are partly explained by an increase in the number of cyclists in several EU countries, they also reflect the failure of the EU, but also of many governments, local authorities, and car manufacturers, to invest more in measures to protect cyclists and pedestrians.
In 2018, cyclists and pedestrians accounted for 29% of all recorded road deaths.
To view the report: https://bit.ly/2vrTfQT (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)