Skip to main content

Improved Czech road safety

The Czech Republic has seen road safety gains.
By MJ Woof January 6, 2025 Read time: 1 min
The Czech Republic has seen a steady reduction in road crashes and fatalities over the decades - image courtesy of Mike Woof


Major gains in road safety are being seen in the Czech Republic compared with the high number of fatalities in previous decades. In 1969 road deaths in the Czech Republic peaked at 1,758, dropping slowly to 1,473 in 1994. However, for 2023, there were just 455 road deaths in the Czech Republic. 

This mirrors road safety gains seen in most European nations from peaks in road deaths in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The data comes from the Czech Statistical Office. Some of the improvement in road safety derives from vehicles have better braking and safety systems, as well as better occupant protection. Some of the improvement in road safety derives from better quality infrastructure, with gains in guardrail technology, traffic management systems and also lighting for example. Some of the gains also come from the increases in multi lane highway sections, which reduce the risk of high speed head on collisions.

Meanwhile, a survey carried out jointly by the Czech Association of Insurance Companies and the Czech Office of Insurers reveals that there were 14,517 crashes at roundabouts in the Czech Republic between 2010 and 2023. However, 73% of crashes at roundabouts did not result in injuries. By comparison, 65% of crashes at conventional intersections did not result in injuries.
 

 

Related Content

  • Italian crash rate reducing
    May 24, 2016
    An in-depth analysis of crash statistics from Italy shows that road safety is improving in the country, albeit slowly. The Italian National Statistiscs Institute has published the yearly report (2014) covering road crashes. The data reveals that in 2014 there were 1777,031 crashes involving injuries. This represents a drop of 2.5% compared with the figures for 2013. In all 3,381 people were killed in road crashes in Italy during 2014, a drop of 0.6% compared with 2013. The number of serious injuries from ro
  • Europe’s road safety targets at risk
    June 15, 2015
    The EU’s targets for road safety are at risk due to increased fatalities in France, Germany and UK. This new analysis has been published by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). According to the ETSC data, 2014 showed the lowest annual reduction in EU road deaths since 2001. In all 25,845 people were killed in road crashes in the 28 nations of the EU during 2014. This represented a decrease of just 0.6% compared to 2013. EU member states now need to cut deaths by almost 8% each year until 2020 to me
  • iRAP: cost of road deaths and injuries continues
    August 26, 2024
    Road deaths alone are estimated to cost US$753 billion annually, according to the latest annual Safety Insights Explorer report.
  • Europe’s road safety targets at risk
    July 10, 2015
    This new analysis has been published by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). According to the ETSC data, 2014 showed the lowest annual reduction in EU road deaths since 2001. In all 25,845 people were killed in road crashes in the 28 nations of the EU during 2014. This represented a decrease of just 0.6% compared to 2013. EU member states now need to cut deaths by almost 8% each year until 2020 to meet the target set in 2010 to halve deaths within a decade.