The data from the European Commission shows that EU road fatalities fell by 3,000 last year and reached the lowest level since the first data were collected.

The European Commission also published a document on serious road traffic injuries outlining the next steps towards a comprehensive EU strategy on serious road injuries. This includes a common definition of serious road traffic injury (applicable from 2013) as well as a way forward for Member States to improve data collection on serious road accidents and the principle of adopting an EU-level target for the reduction of serious road traffic injuries.

In response, TISPOL president Koen Ricour said: ‘This decrease puts Europe back on target to achieve the tough objective of halving road deaths between 2010 and 2020. We know that effective enforcement of road traffic law is a vital part of an overall casualty reduction strategy. We will continue to focus our enforcement efforts to further improve rates of seatbelt wearing, to sanction excessive or inappropriate speed and to search out and punish those who choose to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

‘We also support the European Commission commitment to developing a comprehensive EU strategy on serious road injuries, and pledge our determination to work within this strategy, in order to reduce the number of people injured on the roads of Europe.’