Nicosia: In 2023, road traffic accidents claimed the lives of 20,380 people in the EU, recording a 1.3% decrease compared with 2022 (20,652 fatalities), while Cyprus recorded a decrease of 8.1% during the same period (from 37 deaths in 2022 to 34 in 2023), according to data published by Eurostat.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the traffic fatality rate in Cyprus (36 fatalities per million inhabitants) was lower than the EU average in 2023 (46 fatalities per million inhabitants). Eurostat points out that in 2020 the number of fatalities in the EU had dropped sharply to 18,830 fatalities, something attributed to the COVID-19 mobility restrictions. Although fatalities increased in 2021 and 2022, they did not return to pre-pandemic levels.
In Cyprus, the pandemic did not contribute to a drop in road traffic fatalities (which stood at 53 in 2017, 49 in 2018, 52 in 2019, and 48 in 2020). However, over the past few years, there has been a downward trend in fatalities (45 in 2021, 37 in 2022, and 34 in 2023).
The lowest rates of road traffic fatalities in 2023 were registered in Sweden (22 road fatalities per million inhabitants), Denmark (27), and Malta (30). By contrast, the highest rates were recorded in Bulgaria and Romania (both with 81 road fatalities per million inhabitants), followed by Latvia (75).