Greece One of Worst Countries in Europe for Road Safety

According to data from the European Parliament, Greece has the least safe roads in all of Europe. Figures published by the European Parliament’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transport at the end of last year show that 635 people died in road accidents in Greece in 2022.

This amounts to 61 deaths per one million inhabitants, compared with a European average in 2022 of 46 deaths per one million residents. Additionally, data published by the European Road Safety Observatory shows that, in 2020, 56 percent of road fatalities in Greece occurred on urban roads. In this regard, the EU average was 38 percent.

Greece’s Road Safety in Relation to Tourism

Greece has a long tradition of tourism and hospitality. During more recent years, the country has overcome its economic crisis and, following Covid pandemic lockdowns, catapulted itself back as a major tourist destination.

A report by the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport, titled “International Tourism and Road Safety in Greece,” highlights the impacts of road safety issues on tourism in the country.

The report states: “The road safety problem in popular tourist destinations, affecting both visitors and residents, has not been properly addressed. The overall risks to which tourists are exposed depend to a considerable extent on the local road safety environment, driving conditions and general level of enforcement.”

“The safety of infrastructure, vehicles and driver [behavior] i.e. speeding or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, also affect the level of road risk,” it was reported.

“At the same time tourists have to deal with a number of additional risk factors,” the report maintained, “such as poor knowledge of the road network, lack of understanding of local traffic rules and signs, insufficient driving skills under unknown conditions, disorientation, distraction and fatigue.”

Past Data on Crashes and Fatalities

According to the Hellenic Statistical Authority, between 2007 and 2016, road fatalities in Greece decreased by almost 50 percent, with the number of road deaths decreasing from 14.6 per 100,000 population to 7.6.

During the same period, the number of serious injuries resulting from road traffic collisions decreased by 52 percent from 1,821 to 879, and the total number of vehicle crashes fell by 27 percent from 15,499 to 11,318.

As reported by the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport,  although road collision decreased during the period between 2007 and 2016, Greece’s road safety performance remained considerably below the European average. It was behind Italy, Portugal, Croatia, and Malta.

The report estimates that the financial and social impact of road fatalities and injuries in Greece costs over three billion euros annually. Greece also has the highest rate of motorcyclist fatalities among EU countries, accounting for more than 30 percent of all road deaths in 2019.