Poland is the country that has managed to reduce the number of road traffic deaths the most over the last decade, despite having a large car fleet and some of the highest speed limits on motorways in Europe. How did it work?

From 2011 to 2022, the number of road deaths decreased by 56% in Poland, and by 19% in Romania.

The number of road deaths in Poland

2011: 4189

2014: 3202

2018: 2862

2021: 2245

2022: 1883

In Romania, more than 2,000 people died in car accidents in 2011 and 2012, with an average of around 1,700 in recent years. In particular, there were 1,779 deaths in 2021 and 1,634 deaths in 2022, which is the lowest figure in the last ten years.

The highest number of deaths for which data are available in Romania was in 2008: 3,065 deaths. The improvement is evident considering that last year this number was 45% less than in the “darkest” year.

For example, last year was the first year for Poland when the total number of people killed in road accidents was below 2,000.

Poland has a fleet of more than 25 million vehicles, more than three times that of Romania, and has grown by 2.5 million vehicles in five years. About 45% of cars run on gasoline, 40% – on diesel, and liquefied gas has an important weight, more than 13%.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a non-profit organization, awarded Poland an international road safety award for this important reduction in fatalities and explained why the country was able to do so.

Poland has a specific national program to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50%, and the country is determined to adhere to this program between 2021 and 2030.

In Poland, many radars and cameras have been installed, which measure the average speed at which drivers cover certain distances, in places where many try to “cross”.

Importantly, from 2010 to 2019, the number of drink-driving tests increased by an average of 19% compared to the previous year.

Poland has also introduced “emergency corridors” on motorways so that emergency vehicles can quickly approach them in case of accidents.

The downside is that the maximum speed on motorways is 140 km/h, one of the highest in Europe, but the upside is that in urban areas where higher speeds are allowed at night than during the day, it has been left in many of these exceptions .

The ETSC also recommends reducing the maximum speed allowed for cars in areas of the city with heavy pedestrian and bicycle traffic from 50 km/h to 30 km/h.

Around 20,600 people died in road accidents across the EU last year, a 3% increase on 2021 as road traffic levels recover from the pandemic.

However, this is 2,000 fewer deaths (-10%) compared to 2019, which preceded the pandemic. The goal of the EU and the UN is to halve mortality by 2030.