European roads are the safest in the world and road safety has improved greatly in recent decades. Nevertheless, the number of deaths and injuries is still far too high and progress has slowed.
This is why the EU has adopted the Vision Zero and Safe System approach to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on European roads. This approach reframes road safety policy by focussing on the prevention of deaths and serious injuries.
The European Union works closely on road safety with the authorities in its member countries. It seeks to build on national initiatives, setting targets and addressing all factors that play a role in crashes.
It does so by adopting laws, supporting public education campaigns, helping member countries and other road safety actors share relevant experience and providing funding.
Legislation
All road safety legislation can be found under this link: EU Road safety legislation.
Areas of the safe system
Cooperation and knowledge sharing
- High-Level Group on Road Safety
- EU international cooperation in road safety
- Cooperation with Civil Society: European Road Safety Charter
- EU Road Safety Exchange
Funding
- EU funding and tendering opportunities in the area of road safety
- The European structural and investment funds are used to upgrade regional and urban road infrastructure.
- The Connecting Europe Facility invests in road safety and digitalisation.
- The Safer Transport Platform launched in 2019 by the Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) is a one-stop-shop providing advice and technical assistance on funding and financing options for investment in transport safety, with a particular focus on road safety
- Road safety projects are also funded under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, the EU's R&I programme. An overview of projects funded between 2014 and 2020 and managed by the European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).
Key Policy documents
- Staff Working Document EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 – Next steps towards “Vision Zero”
- Valletta Declaration on Road Safety
- Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy
- Annex to Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy
- EU Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety
- EU Parliament report on the EU road safety policy framework