Road risks from motor vehicles

Road safety risks are mainly from motor vehicles.
By MJ Woof March 30, 2021 Read time: 1 min
Vans and light commercial vehicles have the highest risk of involvement in crashes according to a new report – image © courtesy of Mike Woof
Fatalities and serious injuries that occur on roads are most likely to be caused by crashes involving motor vehicles. That is the conclusion of a new report from the European Transport Safety Commission (ETSC).

According to the report, the majority of deaths and serious injuries in road crashes are either to vehicle occupants or by people in an impact with a vehicle. In relation to distance travelled, crashes involving vans and light goods vehicles pose the highest percentage risk to other road users. The report also states that pedestrians and cyclists are those most at risk of death or serious injury in the event of a crash involving a motor vehicle. Meanwhile, motorcyclists face the highest rate of road fatalities in relation to distance travelled.

The report also highlights that in contrast, pedestrians and cyclists are rarely involved in collisions that result in the death of other road users.
Highway & Network Management

Related Content

  • 8th UN Global Road Safety Week – May 12-18
    May 12, 2025
    iRAP offers a suite of free, evidence-based tools and resources to support the creation of safer environments for vulnerable road users, in use by its partners in more than 130 countries.
    Read More
  • Casualties on Africa’s dangerous roads
    August 8, 2024
    High casualty levels are being seen on Africa’s dangerous roads.
    Read More
  • EU cross-border traffic enforcement
    July 18, 2014
    Road safety campaigners and European traffic police are putting pressure on the EU to speed up the introduction of cross-border enforcement of traffic offences. The modified rules have been published by the European Commission and come in response to a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling earlier this year saying that the existing law, which came into force in November last year, had been adopted on an incorrect legal basis. The ECJ has said the current rules could remain in effect until May 2015 while ne
    Read More
  • Europe calls for new road safety target
    September 9, 2015
    The European Parliament has reiterated calls for a pan-European target to cut serious road injuries. In a vote on a review of European transport policy since 2011, MEPs called for, “the swift adoption of a 2020 target of a 40 % reduction in the number of people seriously injured, accompanied by a fully-fledged EU strategy.” Since 2010 the number of people seriously injured on EU roads has been reduced by just 1.6%, compared to an 18% decrease in the number of road deaths. Last year the numbers actually
    Read More

Highlighted Content