EC: Bulgaria on track to meet target of halving annual number of road deaths by 2030

Bulgaria is among five European Union countries on track to meet the target of reducing the annual number of deaths in road accidents by 50 per cent by 2030, but in 2025 had the highest road death rate in the EU, according to preliminary data posted by the European Commission (EC) on March 24.

Bulgaria’s road death rate in 2025 was 71 per million population, a reduction of five per cent compared with the 74 per million in 2024.

The preliminary figure for the road death rate in Bulgaria in 2025 is 27 per cent lower than that for 2019, and 29 per cent lower than the country’s average for 2017-2019.

In 2025, Romania had a road death rate of 68 per million population, a drop of 12 per cent compared with 2024, while Croatia had a road death rate of 67 per million, an increase of nine per cent compared with the 2024 figure.

The EC said that preliminary figures on road fatalities in the EU in 2025 show about 19 400 deaths.

This represents a per cent decrease from 2024, meaning that 580 fewer people died on European roads.

Given the increase in vehicles on EU roads and kilometres driven, this is a significant achievement, the EC said.

However, the preliminary data also highlights the need for sustained efforts at all levels as most EU member states are not yet on track to meet the EU’s goal of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

In 2018, the EU set itself a 50 per cent reduction target for road deaths  and serious injuries by 2030, while  aiming to reach zero road deaths by 2050 (‘Vision Zero’). 

Road safety progress varies widely by country, the EC said.

Between 2024 and 2025, there were remarkable decreases in Estonia (-38 per cent) and Greece (-22 per cent).

Based on this preliminary and sometimes partial data, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Poland and Romania are currently on track to meet the 50 per cent reduction target in road deaths by 2030.

Despite this progress, Romania continues to have one of the highest fatality rates in the EU alongside Bulgaria and Croatia.

Sweden and Denmark had the safest roads in 2025 as in previous years, with low fatality rates of 20 and 23 deaths per million inhabitants, respectively.

For every fatality, an estimated five people are seriously injured. This means that around 100 000 people across the EU suffer serious injuries in road crashes each year.

The available data for 2024 show that rural roads continue to be the most dangerous, with 53 per cent of road traffic fatalities occurring there, compared with 38 per cent in urban areas and eight per cent on motorways.

Within urban areas, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and users of powered two-wheelers and personal mobility devices) represent 70 per cent of total road deaths. Fatalities in urban areas occur overwhelmingly when a crash involves cars and lorries.

Overall, men (77 per cent) vastly outnumber women (23 per cent) in road deaths.

A growing concern is the disproportionately high share of young people (18-24) and older people (aged 65+) in road deaths – especially among people walking and on bicycles.

Car drivers and passengers represented 44 per cent of all fatalities, whereas users of powered two-wheelers (motorbikes and mopeds) accounted for 21 per cent, pedestrians 18 per cent, and cyclists nine per cent.

Although personal mobility devices make up only one per cent of the total, the number of fatalities involving such devices (mostly e-scooters) increased significantly between 2021 and 2024, the EC said.

(Photo: pixabay)