ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIALITHUANIA1

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIALITHUANIA
Lithuania recorded 175 road deaths in 2020, 11 less than 2019, and 2 more compared to2018, when the country recorded its lowest figure. Lithuania is one of the IRTAD countries
that has achieved the strongest reduction in road deaths in recent years. Since 2000, thenumber of road deaths has decreased by 73%. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic and theconsequent restrictions affected road safety results. Compared to the average for 201719, in 2020, the number of crashes decreased by 8%, the number of injured by 10% andthe fatalities by 5%. In 2020, the Ministry of Transport and Communications introduced
the new Road Safety Programme “Vision Zero”. This strategy aims to achieve zero road
fatalities by 2050 in Lithuania. The target for 2030 is to halve the number of road fatalities
compared to 2019.

Road safety management and strategy
Since 1991, road safety performancecan be divided into the following
periods:
1992-96: a significant reduction in thenumber of fatalities occurred in 1992,
immediately after the break-up of theSoviet Union. The following years saw
dramatic
politicalchanges
andeconomic austerity, but a positive trend
in road safety mainly through theintroduction of safer European vehicles.
•••

1997-2000: in this period,traffic
fatalities
increasedslightly, with a new peakreached in 1998. It thendropped again in the two
following years due to an
economic crisis in neighbouring
Russia.
2000-07: an improved economic
situation in Lithuania brought a
rapid increase in traffic volume
accompaniedbyayearly
increase in road traffic fatalities.
2008-17:asignificant
breakthrough was achieved due

Lithuania: Quick facts
Population: 2.8 million
GDP per capita: USD 20 002
Road network: 85 086 km•
urban roads: 75%•

rural roads: 24%•

motorways: 1%

Registered motor vehicles: 1.8 million•
cars: 88%•

goods vehicles: 8%•

motorcycles: 3%•

motorised two-wheelers: 3%

Speed limits:•urban roads: 50 km/h•

rural roads: 90 km/h•

motorways: 120-130 km/h

Limits on Blood Alcohol Content:•general drivers: 0.4 g/l•

moped and motorcycle riders: 0.0 g/l•

professional drivers: 0.0 g/l•novice drivers: 0.0 g/

Road fatalities: 175•

pedestrians: 30%•cyclists: 8%•car occupants: 50%•motorcyclists: 11%•other: 2%

Road fatalities per 100 000 population: 6.3
Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles: 1.0
Cost of road crashes: 0.3% of GDP
All data 2020 unless otherwise stated.

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

to citizens’ growing awareness of road safety issues and the European Union’s
official target to reduce road fatalities by 50% between 2001 and 2010. Lithuania
reached the EU road safety target in 2010. The economic downturn in 2008-10
probably contributed to a reduction in traffic and a decrease in the number of roadfatalities. The year 2016 saw a further marked decline, explained partly by a ban
on alcohol sales in gas stations.
•2018-30: a Vision Zero strategy for road and rail transport aims to reduce sharply
the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Lithuania’s roads and rail lines.

Responsibility for the organisation of road safety in Lithuania lies with the Ministry ofTransport and Communications. It is supported by the Lithuanian Transport Safety
Administration and the Lithuanian Road Administration. Police and municipalities are otheragencies with responsibility for road safety. A State Traffic Safety Commission makes
recommendations on road safety policy. It consists of representatives of state andmunicipal administration bodies nominated by the government.
In 2020, the Ministry of Transport and Communication introduced the Road Safety
Programme “Vision Zero”. The new programme aims to achieve zero road fatalities by 2050
in Lithuania. The new target for 2030 is to halve the number of road fatalities compared to2020.

Latest road safety measures
As of 2018, Lithuania has started collecting injury data based on the Maximum AbbreviatedInjury Scale (MAIS). In 2017, the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration began
conducting in-depth investigations of all fatal crashes. This allows for collecting additional
information about the circumstances of crashes and designing more targeted road safetymeasures. In 2021, the Transport Competency Agency joined the fatal accidents
investigation procedure.
In 2018, Lithuania introduced section control to enforce speed limits on road sections. Atthe end of 2021, there were 81 sections equipped with automated enforcement.
Lithuania’s parliament approved legislation to introduce an alcohol lock programme in2018. Since 2016, the sale of alcohol in gas stations has been prohibited. A maximum BAC
level of 0.0 g/l for drivers with less than 24 months of driving experience, professional
drivers, moped and motorcycle riders has been in force since 2015.

Costs of road crashes
Traffic crashes represent a high cost for society, estimated at around EUR 151 million(0.3% of GDP) in 2020. These costs are estimated using a capital approach method.

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Safety performance indicators
Speed
According to police data, inappropriate speed is the leading cause of traffic crashes inLithuania. Speeding 30 km/h above the limit is considered a serious violation. It incurs
severe sanctions, including immediate licence withdrawal for novice drivers. Observationsin 2019 indicated that 17% to 28% of all drivers exceed the speed limit by more than 10km/h on state roads. In 2014, research showed that 33% of drivers exceed the speed
limit by more than 10 km/h in urban areas.
Drink-driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol is another major cause of road crashes in Lithuania.
Compared to the average number in 2017-19, in 2020, the number of alcohol-related
crashes increased by 12%, the number of injured by 6% and the number of fatalities
decreased by 22%.
The general maximum authorised blood alcohol content (BAC) in Lithuania is 0.4 g/l. For
novice drivers with less than 24 months of driving experience, professional drivers,
moped and motorcycle drivers, the limit has been 0.0 g/l since 1 May 2015.
Since 1 January 2016, alcohol sales in gas stations have been banned. Since 1 April 2016,driving with a BAC of 1.5 g/l and above is considered a crime and carries up to one year
in prison.
In 2020, new amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses were adopted. A driverwith a BAC level between 0.41 and 1.5 g/l is fined EUR 800-1 100 and their licence issuspended from 12 to 18 months or 6 to 12 months if they drive a vehicle with alcoholinterlocks for 12 to 18 months. If the licence is suspended for more than one year, thedriver should complete additional driver training and pass a driving examination.
Drugs and driving
In 2020, the police reported 13 road crash injuries with a driver under the influence ofdrugs and alcohol. The actual number of drug-related crashes is undoubtedly higher as
there is not yet a systematic process to check the presence of drugs in the case of a roadcrash.

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Use of mobile phones while driving
In Lithuania, there is no estimate of the number of fatal crashes due to the use of mobilephones. It is not permitted to drive using a hand-held mobile phone. Hands-free mobilephones may be operated.
Seat belt and helmet use
Seat belt wearing is compulsory in Lithuania in both front and rear seats. Children below
135 cm in height must use dedicated child restraints. Based on a 2019 survey on roadsof national significance, 97% of car drivers and 92% of front-seat passengers werewearing a seat belt. Only 26% of rear-seat passengers did so. In 2020, this survey was
not performed. According to crash data provided by the police, 95% of drivers and 89%of passengers were wearing seat belts during a crash.
For motorcyclists, helmet wearing is the most effective passive safety habit. Helmets arecompulsory for users of all motorised two-wheelers in Lithuania. However, there is noinformation on the helmet-wearing rate of riders of motorised two-wheelers. Bicycle
helmets are mandatory for children under 18 years of age. In 2020, 84% of riders ofmotorised two-wheelers involved in a crash and 89% of passengers were wearing ahelmet.

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Road safety data for Lithuania at a glanceLong-term road safety trends for Lithuania

Reported safety data

1990

2000

2010

2018

2019

2020

2019

2020 % change over2010
2000
1990

Fatalities

1 081

641

299

173

186

175

-5.9

-41.5

-72.7

-83.8

Injury crashes

5 135

5 807

3 530

2 925

3 190

2 826

-11.4

-19.9

-51.3

-45.0

..

..

..

970

1 080

845

-21.8

..

..

..

29.3

18.3

9.5

6.2

6.7

6.3

-5.9

-34.2

-65.7

-78.6

12.7

5.01.41.1

1.1

1.0-9.8-30.0-80.4-92.3

Pedestrians

..

..

108

71

59

52-11.9-51.9..

..

Cyclists

..

..

23

91114

27.3

-39.1

..

..

Moped riders

..

..

3

10

1..

-66.7..

..

Motorcyclists

..

..

15

15

23

17-26.1

13.3

..

..

Passenger car occupants

..

..

130

73

85

87

2.4-33.1..

..

Other road users

..

..

20

4

84-50.0

-80.0

..

..

0-14 years

..

..

5

5

72-71.4-60.0..

..

15-17 years..

..

6404..

-33.3

..

..

18-20 years

..

..

21

98912.5-57.1..

..

21-24 years

..

..

26

16

179-47.1

-65.4

..

..

25-64 years

..

..

173

97

107

104-2.8-39.9..

..

65-74 years

..

..

34

21

20

23

15.0-32.4..

..

≥ 75 years

..

..

29

20

27

22-18.5-24.1..

..

Urban roads

..

..

85

71

89

70-21.3-17.6..

..

Rural roads

..

..

209

98

91

101

11.0-51.7..

..

Motorways

..

..

5

4

64-33.3

-20.0

..

..

849

1 286

2 145

1 628

1 719

1 793

4.3

-16.4

39.4

111.3

229.7

366.3

682.5

579.7

615.2641.7

4.3

-6.0

75.2

179.3

Injured persons hospitalised
Deaths per 100 000 population
Deaths per 10 000 registeredvehicles
Fatalities by road user

Fatalities by age group

Fatalities by road type

Traffic data
Registered vehicles(thousands)
Registered vehicles per 1 000
population

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Evolution of road fatalities, injury crashes, motorisation and GDP in Lithuania,
2000-20
Index 2000 = 100

Road fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants in Lithuania in comparison with IRTAD
countries, 2020

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles in Lithuania in comparison with IRTADcountries, 2020

Note: in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Hungary registered vehicles do not include
mopeds.
Evolution of road fatalities in Lithuania by user category, age group and roadtype, 2010-20

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Road fatalities in Lithuania by user category, 2020

Road fatalities in Lithuania by road type, 2020

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Road fatality rate in Lithuania by user category and age group, 2020
Rate per 100 000 population in the same age group

Cost of road crashes in Lithuania, 2020
Total (EUR)
Fatalities

103.1 million

Serious injuries

31.7 million

Slight injuries

16.5 million

Total

151.3 billion

Total as % of GDP

0.3

Seat belt and helmet wearing rates
Percentages
2014

2019

General (driver and passenger)

96

94.5

Driver

97

97

Passenger

95

92

33

26

Front seats

Rear seats
GeneralResearch and resources
Publications

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ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | LITHUANIA

Statistics
ofroadaccidents
inLithuania,
2017-2020,
transportas/2021/07/15/iskaitiniu-eismo-ivykiu-statistika-lietuvoje/.

https://tka.lt/oro-Websites
Ministry of Transport
http://sumin.lrv.lt/.

andCommunications

oftheRepublicofLithuania:

Transport Competence Agency: https://www.tka.lt/.
Lithuanian Road Administration: http://lakd.lrv.lt/.
State Enterprise Regitra: https://www.regitra.lt/en/general.

Definition, methodology, data collection
In Lithuania, a road fatality is any person killed in a traffic crash within 30 days of thecrash (before 1995, the limit was seven days). However, there is no official definition ofslight and serious injuries in use. Nevertheless, in 2015 police reported the number oftraffic injuries by severity, based on health sector definitions:•

Seriously injured: persons suffering a road injury entailing irreversible mutilationof one part of the body or a loss of more than 30% of working capacity.

•Lightly injured: persons suffering a road injury for more than ten days or a loss ofworking capacity between 5% and 30%.

•Slightly injured: persons suffering a road injury for less than ten days or a loss ofworking capacity inferior to 5%.

Lithuania started collecting serious injury data based on the Maximum Abbreviated Injury
Scale of three or more (MAIS3+) in 2018. Most crash data is collected and managed bytraffic police. Hospitals and insurance companies also have data on some crashes. Thereis no estimate of under-reporting. According to the police, nearly 100% of injury crashdata are collected and recorded in their database. In 2020, information about theseverity of an injury was included in only 69% of injury crashes. Road safety experts lackinformation to help identify the causes of crashes. Information on road user behaviour isalso limited. Data on injury type are not systematically recorded.

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