THE PERCENTAGE of road deaths on the State’s rural routes is the second highest of 27 European countries, according to a European road safety survey.
A total of 71 per cent of road fatalities in Ireland between 2007 and last year were on rural roads, according to the Brussels-based European Transport Safety Council.
This was 15 per cent above the average of the 27 nations and just 2 per cent behind Estonia, where the highest rate was recorded. Cyprus had lowest rate in this category at just 33 per cent.
As a result, the number of fatalities on Irish motorways and urban roads is among the lowest of the countries surveyed.
Just 2 per cent of the State’s road fatalities are recorded on motorways, compared to an average among the 27 nations of 7 per cent. At 16 per cent, Belgium and Spain had the highest rate of motorway deaths, while Poland and Romania had the lowest rates at 1 per cent. The percentage of fatalities on the State’s urban roads was 27 per cent.
