The cramming of as much safety kit as possible into all vehicles sold in Europe has had a dramatic positive effect on the number of deaths recorded on the continent’s roads. The numbers say that the EU and Switzerland recoded a total of 28,000 deaths in 2001, and that it dropped significantly in 2012, to around 12,000.

These figures were provided by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a non-governmental organization. Their report contains more detailed information too, like the fact that Spain and Latvia were the two countries that made the most progress in the measured time frame, while Poland still remains statistically more dangerous to drive in; their rates are a few times higher than those of the more western countries…

According to Reuters, the ETSC is “calling for mandatory alcohol interlocks” for “repeat drink-drivers,” among other proposed measures to bring the numbers even lower.

It also points out that the most accident-prone segment of the population is the male one, with ages of between 20 to 25 years old.