Greece sees road deaths decline with new safety measures
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Akis Skertsos, the Minister of State in Greece, presented data showing a significant decrease in traffic fatalities across the country in recent years.
He reported that August of this year had the fewest traffic deaths on Greek roads. This improvement connects to increased traffic controls, revisions to the Road Traffic Code, and broader efforts to improve road safety. In 2019, Greece had 67 traffic fatalities per million residents, compared to the European Union average of 51.
By 2025, Greece reduced this number to 50 fatalities per million, narrowing the gap with the EU to 16.3 percent, nearly half the difference from 2019. The downward trend continues into 2026, with 315 deaths reported from January to August, a 16.4 percent decrease from the same period in 2025 and a 32.8 percent decrease from 2019. Specifically, traffic fatalities in August dropped to 40, down 44.4 percent from 2025 and 54 percent from 2019.
Skertsos stated that if this rate continues, Greece could reach the European average of 43 traffic fatalities per million residents by 2026, potentially saving over 250 lives annually compared to 2019. He emphasized the importance of prevention, targeted controls, technology, safer roads, and better driving behavior.
