Road Safety in Europe: 10 years of progress but a worrying slowdown

Road safety: A decade of fragile gains

Over the past ten years, Europe has made real strides in road safety. Fewer casualties, fewer serious crashes, better awareness: the overall trend is clearly downward.

But the latest figures suggest that this momentum is fading. In 2024, France recorded 3,193 fatal accidents, a rise of 0.8% compared with 2023, while the number of serious accidents barely declined (–0.1%).

In the UK, the picture is similar: a 1% increase in fatal crashes, despite a slight drop in injury collisions (–0.6%). In Germany, the figures have flattened out, with 137,500 injury accidents (+0.34%) and 29,537 serious ones (stable).

These numbers mark a turning point: progress is still being made, but at a noticeably slower pace.

Warning triangle in the foreground with a damaged car in the blurred background.

When road safety campaigns hit their limits

Public policies and technological advances delivered impressive results between 2010 and 2020. But the 2024 figures highlight a more complex reality.

Speeding and drink-driving remain among the main causes of fatal crashes, followed by driver distraction and failure to comply with the Highway Code.

Risky behaviour persists, traffic is becoming denser, and the rise of e-scooters, bikes and electric vehicles adds new layers of complexity to managing road risks.

In short: traditional prevention tools are reaching their limits. To keep saving lives, we now need a different approach, one that’s more precise, more localised, and more predictive.

Behind the road accident statistics: Decisions to be made

A 0.8% rise in fatal crashes is significant: behind that figure are real lives, and a clear warning signal that both public and private decision-makers must take seriously.

Data isn’t just about producing a report. It helps identify high-risk areas, understand dangerous behaviours and detect critical situations.

Local authorities, mobility operators and fleet managers now have a major advantage: real-time data. By combining it with accident histories, traffic conditions and usage patterns, it becomes possible to act before risks turn into incidents.

This proactive approach is what will separate a flatlining curve from a genuine return to progress.

Turning data into collective action

Road safety is no longer only about awareness campaigns. It is increasingly built on intelligent data analysis and data-driven decision-making.

This is where connected mobility solutions truly come into play. With geospatial analytics, real-time risk indicators and predictive detection of potential accidents, regions and fleet managers can target their actions more effectively:

Identify pinpoint high-risk road sections
Adjust signage or local speed limits
Analyse high-risk zones
Reduce the costs linked to collisions and vehicle downtime

This is no longer just a matter of safety, it’s also about operational performance and social responsibility.

Working together for safer, connected mobility

After ten years of progress, today’s slowdown isn’t inevitable. It simply shows that we need to rethink how we analyse data and how we act on it.

Because data alone doesn’t save lives, it’s the decisions it supports that truly make the difference.

If you’re ready to take the next step towards safer roads through smarter data, get in touch with us today to find out how our solutions can help.

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