The European Commission has increased efforts to cut the numbers of serious road traffic injuries as part of its ‘vision zero’ goal of eliminating deaths and serious injuries on Europe’s roads. In the past, much Commission work in this area targeted fatalities. Data collection and the creation of a common EU database on road deaths has been a powerful tool facilitating comparison of trends, development of initiatives and more targeted actions. Against the background of a new focus on serious injuries, Maria-Teresa Sanz-Villegas, who has worked in road safety for the European Commission for over a decade, reflects on progress to date and the challenges still faced in this critical area.
