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Estonia ranks 10th among 28 European Union countries in terms of road safety, it appears from statistics published by the European Commission on Thursday.
Estonia ranks 10th in EU in terms of road safety
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According to the road safety statistics, 26,000 people lost their lives on EU roads last year, 5,500 fewer than in 2010, the European Commission representation in Estonia said. Compared to 2014, there is no improvement at EU level, but in Estonia a 15 percent decrease in road deaths was recorded.
The fatality rate in Estonia last year was 50 road deaths per million inhabitants, which places the Baltic state 10th among EU28. In 2014 road deaths per million inhabitants numbered 59.
The average EU fatality rate for 2015 was 51.5 road deaths per 1 million inhabitants, similar to the past two years.
«We have achieved impressive results in reducing road fatalities over the last decades but the current stagnation is alarming. If Europe is to reach its objective of halving road fatalities by 2020, much more needs to be done,» Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bule said.
In 2015 member states started to forward to the Commission also data about serious injuries. Basing on the figures received to date, the Commission estimates that 135,000 people were seriously injured on EU roads. Pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users make up a large proportion of them.
The social cost of road fatalities and injuries is estimated to be of at least 100 billion euros.