Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus recorded 44 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2024, ranking 14th among EU countries, according to a European Commission working document made public on Monday. The document noted a high proportion of powered two-wheelers and victims aged 18 to 24, and said most fatalities and serious injuries occur in urban areas.
Road fatality rate and crash patterns
The Commission document reported that Cyprus recorded 44 road fatalities per million inhabitants in 2024, placing it 14th among EU countries. It also said Cyprus had a high proportion of powered two-wheelers and victims aged 18 to 24, and that the vast majority of road fatalities and serious injuries occur inside urban areas.
Strategy targets and measures
Cyprus’s road safety strategic plan sets targets to halve road fatalities, serious injuries and slight injuries in 2030 compared with 2020. The plan also defines five additional targets related to specific high-risk road user types.
The strategy includes 158 road safety measures across eight fields of action, with some measures further divided into more detailed sub-measures.
Progress toward 2030 goals
Based on the latest available data, Cyprus appears to be almost on track to meet the 2030 target of halving road fatalities, with a 21 per cent decrease between 2019 and 2024. In 2022, 253 people were seriously injured in road crashes, 26 per cent lower than in 2019.
Implementation status and reported delays
For the 2021-2024 period, progress was reported in most road safety areas, while significant delays were reported in some areas. Based on the self-reported assessment, measures in 16 areas are on track, implementation in four areas has been completed, and in the remaining six areas implementation has been delayed or has not started.
The baseline was assessed as high for four out of 26 road safety areas and as low in 12 areas.
Gaps and Commission recommendations
The main gaps reported were understaffed technical services, insufficient organisation of authorities and a limited budget. The Commission said these issues negatively affect progress across the road safety management pillar, except legislation, and also affect measures related to vulnerable road users, road safety campaigns and safe speeds.
The Commission said progress in implementing planned actions is broadly well on track, partly reflected in the evolution of the overall number of fatalities, while noting that small figures are subject to annual fluctuations. It also said significant delays persist due to organisational, budget and staff-related issues, and called for removing obstacles preventing or delaying implementation and speeding up planned measures, with emphasis on urban infrastructure, vulnerable road users and safe speeds.
What steps do you think should be prioritised to reduce road deaths in urban areas?
