The number of lives lost in traffic accidents in Greece has raised alarm bells, especially when compared to other European Union nations. While the absolute fatality count is lower than the pre-pandemic figures of 2019, there has been a slight increase in road accident-related deaths over the last three years (2020-2022).
Greece's performance in 2022 ranked as the fourth worst among EU countries in terms of traffic fatalities per million inhabitants, with a sobering figure of 71 casualties. Experts have pointed to concerns regarding poor driving behaviour as a significant contributor to this statistic, particularly when compared to the EU average of 46 deaths per million inhabitants.
Panagiotis Papantoniou, the president of the Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers, reflected on the situation, saying, "In 2021, there was optimism about road safety in Greece, because in the decade from 2010 to 2020, we witnessed the most substantial reduction in road accident deaths (-54%) across the EU. However, we are now facing an unfortunate increase in the number of fatalities." He attributed the decrease in previous years to the development of new highways, reduced private car usage during the economic crisis, and the introduction of safer vehicles.
