Portugal and the EU are far from achieving their strategic objective of halving road deaths between 2010 and 2020.
The fatal road accident rate in Portugal did fall last year by 3% compared to 2013 and this matched the general decline across the EU member states.
In Portugal, deaths from road accidents had dropped by 34% since 2010 compared to the EU’s 18% fall but Portugal and the EU are still far from achieving their stated objective of halving road deaths between 2010 and 2020.
In the 28 Member States, 25,700 people died in road accidents in 2014, 5,700 less than in 2010 and the countries with the lowest deaths rate from road accidents were Malta, Sweden and the UK.
The highest mortality rates were recorded in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania and Latvia.
Countries badly hit by the recession have also seen a decline in road use as people save fuel by cutting out unnecessary journeys.
The rise in unemployment in Portugal has contributed to fewer road miles being travelled but the impressive haul of drunk drivers pulled over by GNR wayside inspection points each weekend gives little indication of a change in behaviour from the ‘at risk’ demographic of drivers who still drink alcohol before getting behind the wheel, convinced that they are not going to die or kill someone.
The emigration of drivers in the Algarve from the formerly free motorway to the now overcrowded and potholed EN125 has not improved the regional safety record with traffic down 50% on the Via do Infante.
