Switzerland misses interim road death target

Switzerland is likely to miss its 2030 road-safety goals, with road deaths remaining above the interim target, SRF reports. The Federal Roads Office says 214 people died in traffic accidents in 2025, 36 fewer than in 2024 but well above the target of 150 for the year.

The federal government set a goal a decade ago of reducing annual road deaths to 100 and serious injuries to 2,500 by 2030. In 2016, 216 people died on Swiss roads. The Federal Roads Office says the goal remains an important guide for its road-safety work, but it is too early to say whether it can be achieved.

The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention says serious road accidents have stagnated in recent years. It points to growing traffic and new forms of mobility that make the road environment more complex. Human errors, including speeding, distraction, inattention and alcohol use, remain significant risk factors.

Transport expert Thomas Sauter-Servaes says more people and greater demand for travel have increased traffic. He says cars, including heavier SUVs, and delivery vehicles increasingly share limited road space with cyclists, e-bikes, e-scooters and pedestrians, leading to more dangerous conflicts. While driving has become safer, he says, severe crash outcomes have increasingly affected motorcyclists, e-bike users and pedestrians.

Sauter-Servaes sees potential in expanding 30 km/h speed limits in built-up areas. The Council for Accident Prevention also calls for mandatory helmets for users of motorised two-wheelers such as e-bikes and e-scooters, as well as for children. It says the 2030 goal is unlikely to be reached without political support, noting that serious crashes among under-18s more than doubled after 16-year-olds were allowed to ride 125cc motorcycles.

Examples from elsewhere show road deaths can fall, Sauter-Servaes says. Helsinki recorded no traffic deaths in 2024, which he attributes to widespread 30 km/h limits. The Transport Club of Switzerland says Norway’s road deaths fell by 41 per cent between 2014 and 2024. In 2024, Norway recorded 16 deaths per million residents, the lowest rate among countries examined by the European Transport Safety Council.