Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union

E3: Transport

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The road accident data are taken from the CARE database (CARE - Community database on Accidents on the Roads in Europe), which is entirely managed by Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). The legal basis for CARE is the Council Decision on the creation of a Community database on road accidents (93/704/EC, Oj No L329 of 30.12.1993, pp. 63-65)

CARE is a Community database on road accidents resulting in death or injury (no statistics on damage-only accidents). The tables included in Eurobase are limited to the number of fatalities as the definition of injuries is not entirely harmonised across the Member States.

The major difference between CARE and most other existing international databases is the high level of disaggregation, i.e. CARE results are based on detailed data on individual accidents as collected by the Member States. This database at Community level would make it possible to identify and quantify road safety problems, evaluate the efficiency of road safety measures, determine the relevance of Community actions and facilitate the exchange of experience in this field.

National data sets are integrated into the CARE database in their original national structure and definitions, with confidential data blanked out. The Commission provides a framework of transformation rules allowing CARE to provide compatible data.

The following data are available:

• Persons killed in road accidents by sex

• Persons killed in road accidents by category of persons involved

• Persons killed in road accidents by age

• Persons killed in road accidents by type of road

• Persons killed in road accidents by type of vehicle

• Road accidents by NUTS 3 regions

For the road accident fatalities by type of road, and notably the classification of accidents on motorways, which may also occur in urban areas, please note the following rationale:

Rural : Outside urban area & no motorway/unknown

Urban: inside urban area & no motorway/unknown

Motorway: Outside urban area/Unknown area & motorway

Unknown: Urban area unknown & motorway unknown.

Injury Road Accident (referred as Accident) concerns an incident on a public road involving at least one moving vehicle and at least one casualty (person injured or killed).

Fatally injured persons are those killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of injury accident, excluding suicides.

For the road accident fatalities by type of vehicle, please note that the position OTH (‘Other’) in the dimension VEHICLE corresponds to pedestrians.

More information can be obtained in Part 2 Road Information of the document with the CARE database variable description, the link of which is given in point 3.2.

For the NL, the number of fatalities registered by the police is under-reported and equates to around 85% of the total number of fatalities published nationally. In 2022, the overall total was 745 while the police-based figure in the CARE database was 655.

Data in the CARE database are collected according to the principles of a Common Accident Data Set (CADaS). Information on variables can be obtained through the CADaS reference guide, available through: https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/7f8e38c2-87cf-4426-afc4-277ae4c24591_en?filename=CADaS%20Glossary_v%203_8_1.pdf

Not applicable.

See 3.2

The data used in the domain are collected by the different data providers at accident level and aggregated by DG MOVE.

All fatalities reported by the individual Member States, according to the “death at 30 days principle” (see also 4. Unit of measure).

CARE data cover the EU Member States and the EFTA countries.

1991 is the first reference year for a number of countries. Data availability generally increases over time. The data available in the Eurobase tables are available from 1999 onwards.

Not applicable.

The unit of measure is the physical person or the road accident.

The fact that in certain cases, the sum of the sub categories do not add up to the total is linked to the fact that in certain cases, correction coefficients have been applied in order to respect the so-called “death at 30 days” principle. This principle means that persons dying up to 30 days after the occurrence of the accident are indeed counted as road accident fatalities. After these 30 days, the reason for dying might be declared differently. Certain countries have used different concepts in the past, making it necessary to apply a correction coefficient. This may result in data containing decimals. As the measurement unit is the physical person, it has been preferred to display the data without decimals applying rounding. Totals may therefore appear slightly different.

Information on the correction factors applied are available under point 8.1 of the CADaS Reference Guide available under: https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/7f8e38c2-87cf-4426-afc4-277ae4c24591_en?filename=CADaS%20Glossary_v%203_8_1.pdf

Data is initially collected by the Member States at accident level. Annual datasets are compiled by Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE).

The yearly monitoring reports are available on DG MOVE’s website: https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/statistics-and-analysis/data-and-analysis/annual-statistical-report_en

Data for these tables have been taken directly from the CARE database, which management and maintenance is in the hands of DG MOVE. Eurostat and DG MOVE have an agreement enabling Eurostat to disseminate CARE data.

At the basis, the CARE data collection is based on the Council decision of 30 November 1993 on the creation of a Community database on road accidents (Council Decision 93/704/EC , OJ No L329 of 30.12.1993, pp. 63-65).

Not applicable.

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

Followed by DG MOVE in their internal treatment.

Following DG MOVE.

Following DG MOVE.

In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.

Data is disseminated on an annual basis.

News item published 12.04.2024:

Road fatalities up 4% in 2022 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20240412-1

Statistics Explained article - Road safety statistics in the EU https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Road_safety_statistics_in_the_EU

Eurostat Publication Key figures on European transport - 2023 edition: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-key-figures/w/key-figures-on-european-transport-2023-edition

DG MOVE - Annual statistical report: https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/statistics-and-analysis/data-and-analysis/annual-statistical-report_en

Please consult free data on-line (Transport/Multimodal data/Transport safety).

Only for selected user and in agreement with DG MOVE.

Not applicable.

A complete documentation on the variables collected, their definition as well as a glossary is available in the CADaS Reference Guide: https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/7f8e38c2-87cf-4426-afc4-277ae4c24591_en?filename=CADaS%20Glossary_v%203_8_1.pdf

See 10.6

Statistics on road accident fatalities in individual countries are generally available at aggregated level only. If more detailed data are made available at national level, they often cannot be compared with those of other countries due to methodological differences. Data for the CARE database are increasingly sent according to recommendations for a Common Accident Data Set (CADaS). This consists of a minimum set of standardised data elements, which allows for comparable road accident data to be available for the EU and EFTA countries. The CADaS can be implemented on a voluntary basis at the national accident collection systems and be gradually adopted by the EU countries. Thus, progressively, more and more common road accident data from the various countries will be available in a uniform format. In this way CARE, the European database with disaggregated data on road accidents, will gradually contain more and more compatible and comparable data, allowing for more reliable analyses and comparisons across the EU countries.

The recommendation for a Common Accident Data Set (CADaS) refers to the set of data to be voluntarily transmitted by each country to the EU, which should be derived from the national road accident data collection system. This means, that the EU countries will not be legally obliged to adopt the CADaS and can continue using their national systems, however, if they wish they can enhance them in order to be able to provide the CADaS data to the EU. In case the countries do not wish to adopt the CADaS they should continue transmitting national road accident data to the EU in the current format.

No information available.

Statistics on road accident fatalities in individual countries are often available at aggregated level only. If more detailed data are made available, they often cannot be compared with those of other countries due to methodological differences.

The tables available in Eurobase containing a selection of CARE data are harmonised and comparable throughout.

No information available.

Completeness of data is somewhat lacking for a number of countries for the early years of the CARE database.

Overall accuracy of data is good as the data collection for the CARE database is “mature” and concepts and definitions are applied by all countries. The application of correction factors to obtain the “death at 30 days” figures has been less and less necessary, as all countries, except Spain, apply this principle.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Following Council decision of 30 November 1993 on the creation of a Community database on road accidents (Council Decision 93/704/EC , OJ No L329 of 30.12.1993, pp. 63-65).

Following Council decision of 30 November 1993 on the creation of a Community database on road accidents (Council Decision 93/704/EC , OJ No L329 of 30.12.1993, pp. 63-65).

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

No information available.

It is recalled that the quality checks are performed by DG MOVE. Horizontal and vertical checks (time series checks and inter-dataset checks) are performed. These quality checks detect data that could possibly be in error. Further investigation is then performed for data that fail these checks. The internal consistency of the data is evaluated as high.

No information available.

The general Eurostat revision policy applies to this domain.

All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated data. Reported errors are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated and extracted from CARE database. Data may be published even if they are flagged as provisional for certain countries. They are replaced with final data once they are validated and extracted from CARE database. Whenever new data are provided and validated, the already disseminated data are updated.

Data are collected and/or compiled by the competent national authorities at single accident level (police, ministries, statistical authorities). These datasets are then transmitted to DG MOVE.

Source data are collected continuously. National authorities compile the information and send the information annually.

Data are retrieved from the CARE database and are transmitted to Eurostat.

Data validation procedures are applied by DG MOVE before data become available in CARE. In order to ensure compliance with data available through DG MOVE’s website, Eurostat does not apply any supplementary validation procedures.

Data compilations are performed by DG MOVE.

In addition, Eurostat may compile some EU totals that are not directly available through the various reports that can be downloaded from DG MOVE’s website. In that case, missing data at country level can be taken from regional table (see 3.1) and used to calculate the EU aggregate.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.