EU road fatalities dropped 15% since 2019 while French road deaths edged up, exposing a widening gap between European safety goals and France’s stagnation.
The year 2019 serves as the baseline for a European Union target aiming to cut road deaths in half between 2020 and 2030. At the halfway point, progress across the bloc lags behind initial expectations.
France sits slightly above the European average with 49 road deaths per million inhabitants in 2025, according to provisional figures published by the European Commission. The broader EU average stands at 43 per million, improving from 45 in 2024.
France shares its 2025 fatality rate with Italy, remaining well behind nations like Romania at 68 and Bulgaria at 71. Meanwhile, neighboring countries achieved sharper declines since 2019. Belgium reduced its road deaths by 29%, Denmark by 32%, and Poland by 43%, as detailed in data from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).
Metropolitan France recorded 3,263 road fatalities in 2025, compared to 3,244 in 2019, according to definitive figures from the Observatoire national interministériel de la sécurité routière (ONISR). That total represents an increase of 70 deaths compared to 2024.
Pedestrians and cyclists without protective metal frames account for much of the increase. Automobilists still represent the highest absolute number of fatalities at 1,543, followed by motorcyclists at 579, pedestrians at 503, cyclists at 235, and users of motorized scooters at 79.
Location remains a critical factor in these incidents, with 6 out of 10 deaths occurring outside built-up areas. Men account for 77% of all fatalities, while drivers aged 18 to 24 registered 528 deaths.
ONISR identified five primary causes among drivers presumed responsible for fatal accidents in 2025. Excessive or inappropriate speed ranks first, followed by alcohol, inattention, narcotics, and medical emergencies.
| Country / Region | Road Deaths per Million (2025) | Change Since 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 71 | −27 % |
| Romania | 68 | −30 % |
| France | 49 | +0,6 % |
| Italy | 49 | −9 % |
| EU Average | 43 | −15 % |
| Belgium | 39 | −29 % |
| Spain | 36 | +1 % |
| Germany | 34 | −8 % |
| Denmark | 23 | −32 % |
| Sweden | 20 | −6 % |
For drivers at fault in a fatal collision, civil liability insurance compensates victims but does not cover the driver’s own injuries unless a specific driver guarantee was purchased. Such coverage depends entirely on the terms of the individual policy contract.
The ETSC recommends to member states a core set of measures: in cities, a default speed of 30 km/h; on roads without a central separator, 70 km/h; and on motorways, a maximum of 120 km/h. The ETSC also recommends increased controls everywhere.
