So says the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) as it publishes two new reports on road safety.

According to the ETSC annual road safety performance index (PIN) report, more than 26,000 people died on EU roads last year, the first increase since 2001. Exceeding speed limits, drink or distracted driving and a failure to wear a seat belt are still the leading causes of death and serious injury across Europe, according to the researchers.

In a separate report on enforcement, ETSC found that, in over half the countries where data is available, the number of tickets issued over the last five years for use of a mobile phone while driving has reduced, suggesting lower levels of enforcement across Europe.

Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the ETSC, said: “Cuts to police enforcement are doubly damaging. Fewer dangerous drivers are caught, and overall perception of the risk of being caught also decreases. While there is increasing pressure to reprioritise policing budgets across Europe, it makes no sense to cut back on road safety. 26,000 are still dying each year on our roads, and the numbers will not start to decrease again without concerted action.”

The research found that Sweden, the Netherlands and Finland show the impact of cuts in traffic enforcement, with all three included among the countries that have reported falls in speeding tickets issued. The ETSC added these countries have also seen some of the biggest slow-downs in reducing road deaths since 2010.

In the UK, where deaths have also been slow to reduce, the number of tickets issued fell after 2010 when government cuts affected enforcement levels but tickets issued are starting to increase again.

In contrast, the ETSC recognised the progress on road safety made by Norway, which won the ETSC’s annual PIN road safety award. The country is at the top of the 2015 European road safety league with the lowest road mortality at 23 deaths per million population. Norway also cut road deaths over the last five years by 44% – the biggest reduction of any country tracked by ETSC’s PIN programme, and reduced deaths last year by 20% – also the best annual improvement.

Antonio Avenoso commented: “Norway stands out as a country that has already achieved a huge amount through its commitment to road safety. But what is so impressive is that it is still making substantial reductions to the numbers killed and injured by developing measures targeted at specific high-risk groups, identifying and improving collision hotspots and following a clearly defined national strategy with short, medium and long term targets.”