11 countries registered ZERO road fatalities during ROADPOL Safety Days 2025 control day.
The news came after final completion of data received from ROADPOL member countries, which took active part in the European Roads Policing Network’s flagship annual campaign. It was traditionally carried out in the week of 16-22 September with the goal of achieving the ZERO for at least one single day.
Topic
This year the campaign placed its focus on two-wheeler users – motorcyclists, moped riders, scooter and bicycle users – motorized, electric or pedal-powered – who remain among the most vulnerable groups on Europe’s roads. Despite representing a smaller share of total traffic, two-wheeler users are disproportionately involved in serious and fatal crashes. Lack of protection in collisions, combined with factors such as excessive speed, risky overtaking, inattentive car drivers, and failure to use protective equipment, significantly increases their risk.
Campaign
ROADPOL member forces carried out dedicated checks and awareness-raising actions to address dangerous behavior both by and towards two-wheelers. The campaign sought to emphasize the importance of wearing helmets, protective gear and visibility equipment, as well as the need for car drivers to respect two-wheelers’ road space, particularly when overtaking or changing lanes. By highlighting the vulnerability of this road user group, ROADPOL aimed to encourage all drivers to adopt a more considerate and defensive approach in mixed traffic, ultimately reducing the high toll of two-wheeler casualties across Europe.
Achievement
On the control day of this year’s campaign, 18 September, all participants reported either ZERO fatalities or a number considerably lower than the average. The 11 ZERO-death champions were Cyprus, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Portugal, Moldova, Slovakia, Finland, Malta, Dubai, Bulgaria and Latvia. Many other countries came very close, registering only one single fatality on the day, among them Lithuania, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and the Netherlands.
Overall, 25 fatalities were reported across Europe on the target day – a significant drop compared to the European daily average of 54 road fatalities, according to 2024 statistics published by the European Commission.
Events
Numerous public events were organized during the week with the aim of attracting public attention to the subject of two-wheelers safety, including initiatives from governmental and civil organizations, educational institutions and private companies. The #zeromeanslife hashtag, introduced in 2023, continued to gain traction, being used widely across social media to keep track of events and increase the measurability of the campaign’s impact. Hundreds of photos and videos were uploaded to social platforms mentioning ROADPOL and carrying the hashtag.
Challenge
“The drop from last year’s 12 ZERO-fatality countries to this year’s 11 shows how fragile the achievement is,” commented ROADPOL Operational Working Group Head Jana Peleskova (Czech Police). “Still, the overall figure of only 25 fatalities across the whole continent on the control day is very low compared to the European averages. This gives us optimism, but it also reminds us that there is still a lot of work to do. We look forward to continuing the fight for safer roads next year.”