The decision to grant the 2023 PIN prize to Poland was announced on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The award was collected in Brussels, Belgium, by the Polish infrastructure minister.
The ETSC said that road mortality, or the number of road deaths per inhabitant in Poland, had fallen from 93 per million in 2012 to 50 per million in 2022.
The organisation added: “The country cut road deaths by 47 percent between 2012 and 2022, a rate only bettered by Lithuania, last year’s winner. The EU average reduction was 22 percent.”
As of 2022, Norway had the safest roads in Europe, with 21 deaths per million, followed by Sweden, with 22 deaths per million, according to the ETSC.
Both the European Union and the United Nations have adopted the target of halving the number of road deaths between 2021 and 2030, the PAP news agency reported.
‘Poland has greatly improved road safety’
The ETSC’s Executive Director Antonio Avenoso said: “In 10 years, Poland has greatly improved road safety, and set an example on how to take the issue seriously. There has been a genuine commitment to setting targets, improving infrastructure and boosting enforcement, all key factors in this impressive reduction.”
'Speed limits and observed vehicle speeds in Poland are still too high'
At the same time, the ETSC said that “speed limits and observed vehicle speeds in Poland are still too high,” with the 140 km/h top speed on motorways being “the highest in the EU with the exception of Germany.”
The organisation welcomed “the decision to axe higher night-time speed limits in urban areas, which was replaced with a permanent 50 km/h limit in 2021,” but added that Poland "should also consider limiting speeds to 30 km/h on roads used by pedestrians and cyclists in urban areas.”
‘Oscar for road safety’
Polish Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk told public broadcaster Polish Radio that Poland “deserved to receive the 2023 PIN Award for its policies over the past decade.”
He added: “This prize is like an Oscar for road safety.”
The infrastructure minister stated: “Poland is building top quality highways and expressways, which is why there are improvements in road safety.”
Adamczyk declared that the government would build more new roads at every level and “step up education and training of drivers” to further improve road safety.
The Brussels-based European Transport Safety Council is an independent NGO dedicated to reducing the number and severity of traffic accidents in Europe, the PAP news agency reported.
The ETSC’s members include Poland’s Motor Transport Institute (ITS), according to officials.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, ETSC