The outgoing year is likely to set a new positive record in traffic, with the number of fatalities at its lowest in recent decades.
As of the day before year’s end, 44 people have died in traffic accidents this year — a figure that will hopefully remain unchanged. Last year, the death toll was significantly higher at 69. The previous record low was set in 2017 when 48 people lost their lives.
Taavi Kirss, head of traffic supervision at the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), said all road users deserve credit for the results in 2025.
“The situation has improved significantly. Of course, we shouldn’t jinx it looking ahead to the coming years. Accidents across all categories have decreased. Our main concern remains motorcycle-related accidents, which saw a particular uptick during the summer. While fatalities in those cases were down, the number of injuries increased,” Kirss said.
Pedestrian-related accidents were another area of concern this year. Although fewer in number, they proved more tragic than in the previous year.
Priit Sauk, director of the Transport Administration, noted that the number of the most serious accidents fell by 30 percent, signaling an improvement in traffic culture.
“There hasn’t been an increase in accidents involving drunk drivers — those numbers have slightly decreased. And while in recent years we talked a lot about the rise of light personal transporters, this year we can’t really say the same,” Sauk said.
A traffic safety program approved by the government this month sets a target of no more than 22 traffic fatalities per year by the end of the period in 2035.
“But I definitely wouldn’t go so far as to promise that next year’s figure will start with a ‘4’. In recent years, we’ve been hovering between 40 and 50 fatalities. Unfortunately, last year there were 69 and we’d very much like to do significantly better than that,” Sauk added.
The state plans to contribute to traffic safety improvements primarily by investing in safer infrastructure. This includes building 2+2 highways and other road upgrades, as well as eliminating hazardous traffic spots.
“The second focus is reducing vehicle speeds — not blanket reductions everywhere, but on those road sections where high speeds are particularly dangerous. And the third area is dealing with habitual offenders,” said Minister of Regional Affairs and Infrastructure Kuldar Leis (Reform).
The last time more than 100 people died in traffic was in 2011. Looking further back, the changes have been substantial: in 2007, 196 people died on Estonia’s roads and in 1991, the number was as high as 491.
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