The European Union(EU) has the best road safety record in the world according to the report “The Automobile Industry Pocket Guide 2023/2024” by The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association(ACEA). Road fatalities per million population in the EU is the lowest in the world at 45. The highest rate is in Africa at 272 followed by Eastern Mediterranean which includes the Middle East. Central and South America has also a high rate at 172 per million people.

On a depressing note, the North American rate (which includes Canada and USA) is awful at about three times the rate of the EU. Though the road network in the US is the best in the world the same cannot be said about its drivers. All types of dangerous driving behavior can be observed on roads in the country from drunk driving to speeding to everything in between. According to NHTSA, an estimated 40,990 Americans died in road accidents in 2023. While safety technology has vastly improved in automobiles, driving has continued to remain worse.

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Source: “The Automobile Industry Pocket Guide 2023/2024, ACEA

According to the above report, though the number of vehicles in the EU has increased since 2010, the number of road fatalities has declined significantly. This proves that other countries have a lot to learn from Europeans.