ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | HUNGARYHUNGARY1

ROAD SAFETY REPORT 2021 | HUNGARYHUNGARY
Hungary recorded 460 road fatalities in 2020, representing a 24% decrease compared to2019. The Road Safety Action Programme 2020-2022 prioritises the safety of vulnerable
road users and the related action plan contains several specific actions for this category.
It does not have any numeric target but accepts the EU goals.

Road safety management and strategy
According to Prof. Dr Péter Holló,
researcher of the Institute for TransportSciences(KTI),
thehistoryofHungarian road safety can be divided
into the following periods:••

1976-87:
relatively
stableperiod. The 30-day definition forroad accident fatalities wasintroduced in 1976.
1987-90:
substantial
deterioration, similar to all
countries where the political,
social and economic systems
changed following the collapseof the socialist bloc. This politicalchange was accompanied bynegative side effects for roadsafety, due to weak police
control, less political attention toroadsafety,afalseinterpretation
offreedom,
explosion in the size andchanges in the structure of thevehicle fleet, etc. The worst everyear for Hungarian road safety
was in 1990, with nearly 2 500
road deaths.

Hungary: Quick facts
Population: 9.8 million
GDP per capita: USD 15 867
Road network: 213 848 km (2019)•urban roads: 31%•

rural roads: 38%•

motorways: 1%

Registered motor vehicles: 4.8 million (withoutmopeds)•

cars: 82%•

goods vehicles: 11%•motorcycles: 4%

Speed limits:•urban roads: 50 km/h•

rural roads: 90 km/h•

motorways: 130 km/h (110 km/h on motorroads)

Limits on Blood Alcohol Content: 0.0 g/l
Road fatalities: 460•

pedestrians: 23%•cyclists: 9%•

car occupants: 48%•motorcyclists: 12%•other: 7%

Road fatalities per 100 000 population: 4.7
Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles: 1.0
Cost of road crashes: 3.4% of GDP (2019-21)
All data 2020 unless otherwise stated.

•1990-2000: significant improvements and major initiatives.

•1993: adoption of the first Hungarian National Road Safety Programme, with aquantitative target. Road safety measures were implemented, such as lower speed
limits in built-up areas, mandatory daytime running lights and obligatory use of rearsafety belts outside built-up areas, intensified police control and road safety
campaigns, more severe sanctions, etc.

•2000 was the least dangerous year until 2008, with a reduction of more than 50%
in the number of people killed (1 200) compared to 1990. Some demographic and2

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economic factors contributed to the positive trend: a decrease in the number ofyoung, novice drivers and an increase in vehicle operating and insurance costs.
•2000-06: deterioration, mainly outside built-up areas. In 2001, the speed limits
outside built-up areas were raised. The level of police enforcement was insufficient,as was the organisation and funding of road safety activities.

•

2006-13: after several years of increasing road fatalities, the 2007 situation wasback to 2000. In 2008, there was a remarkable decrease in fatalities – to under
1 000. In 2013, the number of road fatalities was as low as 50 years earlier. The
improvement in the passive safety of vehicles is considered an essential factor
contributing to these positive results. Several other factors (introduction of ownerresponsibility, installation of automatic speed cameras, further development ofpoint demerit system, etc.) and the economic recession have also contributed tothe reduction in the number of road deaths.

•2013-19: the number of road deaths fluctuated between 603 and 644 without aclear trend, and the number of injury crashes showed an increasing trend. The
decrease in fatalities in 2016 could be attributed to the introduction of automatedspeed cameras. However, their effects may have already diminished.

•2020: the number of road crashes and injuries decreased due to the restrictions
taken to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Responsibility for the organisation of road safety in Hungary lies with the Ministry of theInterior and the Ministry for Innovation and Technology. Overall responsibility for transport
policy rests with the state secretary of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology.
The current Hungarian Road Safety Action Programme covers 2020-22. It focuses mainlyon the safety of vulnerable road users and the related action plan contains several specificactions to improve the safety of this category. The programme does not have any numerictarget.
The programme for 2023-25 is already under development. It will set the target to halve
the number of fatalities and seriously injured by 2030, with 2020 as the baseline.
The KTI Institute for Transport Sciences continuously monitors the road safety situationand each year publishes a detailed evaluation based on outcome indicators (number ofdeaths and injury crashes). It also publishes one on a set of safety performance indicators(such as the use of seat belts, child restraints, daytime running lights, etc.). Based on theevaluation of the previous programme, KTI recommends dedicating further efforts to thefollowing: increasing the use of seat belts (especially in rear seats) and child seats,
installing more speed cameras, introducing speed section control, increasing police
enforcement, strengthening the driver education system with road safety modules andbetter protecting vulnerable road users.

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Latest road safety measures
The Hungarian Police has implemented a new speed enforcement strategy that includes
the use of radars embedded in unmarked vehicles and the suppression of online
information related to the location of speed cameras.
Since November 2020, due to the emergency period for the Covid-19 pandemic, roadsidepolice checks after 8 p.m. have increased.

Costs of road crashes
Traffic crashes represent a high cost for society. In 2013, it was estimated at around EUR
1.88 billion (1.8% of GDP). The original estimation was calculated using both awillingness-to-pay and a human-capital approach. Later, the estimation was based on amethodology by McMahon and Dahdah (2008) that calculates the statistical value of aroad fatality and a person seriously injured.
This estimation was updated in 2017 based on the methodology developed for theEuropean Safety Cube project. Additionally, a model has been elaborated to estimate thestatistical value of a person slightly injured. According to this methodology, the total costof road crashes was equivalent to 2.5% of GDP in 2017.
In 2019, the cost was estimated at EUR 719 116 per road death, EUR 176 642 perseriously injured and EUR 15 670 per slightly injured. Considering the preliminary datafor 2021, the estimated cost for 2019-21 was EUR 4.1 billion (3.4% of GDP).

Safety performance indicators
Speed
According to on-site police investigations, in 2020, speeding was a contributing factor inabout 35% of crashes and 42% of fatal crashes.
To intensify speed enforcement, automatic speed cameras are being introduced. As ofSeptember 2016, 365 fixed and 160 intelligent mobile cameras (VÉDA) were installed.
Since 2019, the VÉDA cameras have been able to identify the non-wearing of seat belts
in the front seats of cars. The use of motorway tolling systems as section control devicesis being discussed. To respond to the deterioration of road safety, the Hungarian police
introduced a new speed enforcement strategy in 2019. The police are now equipped withradars embedded in unmarked cars. Police have stopped giving information about thelocation of mobile speed cameras.

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Drink-driving
Driving under the influence of alcohol is another cause of road crashes in Hungary. In
2020, police reported that 9.7% of all injury crashes were caused by a driver under theinfluence of alcohol.
In Hungary, drivers are forbidden to drive under the influence of alcohol. The theoreticalmaximum blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.0 g/l. In practice, drivers are convicted only
if their BAC is above 0.2 g/l. However, the law was temporarily softened in July 2011 anddriving licences could be withdrawn on the spot only if drivers were seriously under theinfluence of alcohol. Now, zero-tolerance has been re-introduced. Driving licences can berevoked on the spot (following control or crash) if drivers have any alcohol in their blood.
In Hungary, all persons involved in a road crash are tested for their blood alcohol
concentration. A crash is recorded as alcohol-related when the person responsible for thecrash is under the influence of alcohol.
Drugs and driving
Driving under the influence of drugs is defined in the criminal code and is listed among
the potential contributing factors to crashes in accident forms. Unlike alcohol, there is nolimit regarding drug consumption.
Saliva tests are not yet used in Hungary, making drug driving enforcement very difficult.
Drivers may be tested (from blood or urine samples) when suspected of impairment andwhen the alcohol test is negative. This happens very rarely and no random testing isbeing carried out, partly due to the costs of toxicology tests. Therefore, statistics on
drug-driving fatalities are not representative of the reality. In 2019, driving under theinfluence of drugs was reported as a contributing factor in 49 injury crashes, of which 4
were fatal.

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Use of mobile phones while driving
Driving under the influence of drugs is defined in the criminal code and is listed among
the potential contributing factors to crashes in accident forms. Unlike alcohol, there is nolimit regarding drug consumption.
Saliva tests are not yet used in Hungary, making drug driving enforcement very difficult.
Drivers may be tested (from blood or urine samples) when suspected of impairment andwhen the alcohol test is negative. This happens very rarely and no random testing isbeing carried out, partly due to the costs of toxicology tests. Therefore, statistics on
drug-driving fatalities are not representative of the reality. In 2019, driving under theinfluence of drugs was reported as a contributing factor in 49 injury crashes, of which 4
were fatal.
Seat belt and helmet use
Seat belt wearing has been compulsory in Hungary since 1976 in front seats. In rearseats, it has been mandatory outside urban areas since 1993 and in urban areas since2001. Dedicated child restraint use is compulsory for children of 150 cm or under.
In 2021, 94.6% of drivers on motorways, 90.6% on rural roads and 97.7% in urban
areas wore a seat belt. For passengers, the rates were 96.6%, 90.6% and 97.7%,respectively. In 2018 and 2019, 71% of rear-seat passengers wore a seat belt. There isstill improvement needed to increase seat belt use in rear seats.
For motorcyclists, helmet wearing is the most effective passive safety measure. Helmet
wearing has been compulsory since 1965 for motorcyclists, since 1997 for moped riders
outside built-up areas, and since 1998 for moped riders inside built-up areas. Thecompliance rate by motorcyclists is nearly 100%.
There is no mandatory helmet use law for cyclists.

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

Reported safety data

1990

2000

2010

2018

2019

2020

2019

2020 % change over2010
2000
1990

Fatalities

2 432

1 200740

633

602

460

-23.6

-37.8

-61.7

-81.1

Injury crashes

27 801

17 49316 29916 766

16 627

13 778

-17.1

-15.5

-21.2

-50.4

Deaths per 100 000 population
Deaths per 10 000 registeredvehicles
Deaths per billion vehicle
kilometres
Fatalities by road user

23.411.7

7.4

6.5

6.2

4.7

-23.2

-36.0

-59.7

-79.8

11.2

4.4

2.0

1.4

1.3

1.0

-25.7

-52.4

-78.2

-91.4

..

..

..

..

12.8

..

..

..

..

..

Pedestrians

803

346

190

164

143

108

-24.5

-43.2

-68.8

-86.6

Cyclists

313

182

92

70

63

40

-36.5

-56.5

-78.0

-87.2

Moped riders

95

33

18

14

1016

60.0

-11.1

-51.5

-83.2

Motorcyclists

143

5249

49

63

42

-33.3

-14.3

-19.2

-70.6

Passenger car occupants

974

500

330

291

272

220

-19.1

-33.3

-56.0

-77.4

Other road users

104

87

61

46

52

34-34.6

-44.3

-60.9

-67.3
-90.7

Fatalities by age group0-14 years

107

44

20

6

15

10-33.3

-50.0

-77.3

15-17 years

99

18

104

9

6

-33.3

-40.0

-66.7

-93.9

18-20 years

162

64

33

16

16

12-25.0

-63.6

-81.3

-92.6

21-24 years

191

114

40

36

33

25

-24.2

-37.5

-78.1

-86.9

25-64 years

1 365

736

487

386

372

295

-20.7

-39.4

-59.9

-78.4

65-74 years

..

..

77

95

83

63-24.1

-18.2

..

..

≥ 75 years

..

..

72

91

73

49-32.9-31.9..

..

Urban roads

1 231

497

270

242

224

148-33.9-45.2-70.2-88.0

Rural roads

..

654

425

345

331

280

-15.4

-34.1-57.2..

Motorways

..

49

44

48

48

32-33.3

-27.3

-34.7

..

..

..

..

..

47 163

..

..

..

..

..

2 163

2 706

3 640

4 418

4 625

4 757

2.8

30.7

75.8

119.9

208.5

264.7

363.5

451.8

473.3

486.9

2.9

33.9

83.9

133.5

Fatalities by road type

Traffic data
Vehicle kilometres (millions)Registered vehicles(thousands)
Registered vehicles per 1 000
population

Note: registered vehicles do not include mopeds.

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

Note: registered vehicles do not include mopeds.

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

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Road fatalities per 10 000 vehicles in Hungary in comparison with IRTAD
countries, 2020

Note: in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Hungary registered vehicles do not includemopeds.

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Road fatalities per billion vehicle-kilometres in Hungary in comparison with
IRTAD countries, 2019

Evolution of road fatalities in Hungary by user category, age group and roadtype, 2010-20

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Road fatalities in Hungary by user category, 2020

Road fatalities in Hungary by road type, 2020

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

Cost of road crashes in Hungary, 2019-21
Unit Cost (EUR)Fatalities

719 116

Seriously injured persons

176 642Slightly injured persons

15 670Total (HUF)

Total

1 166 billion

Total as % of GDP

3.4

Seat belt and helmet wearing rates
Percentages
2000

2010

2021

General (driver and passenger)

49

83

..

Driver..

82..

Urban roads (driver)

..

75

98

Rural roads (driver)

..

80

91

Motorways (driver)

..

90

95

General839..

Children (use of child restraint)

..

..

..

Front seats

Rear seats12

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Research and resources
Publications
Holló, P., D. Henézi and T. Berta (2018), Comparison of self-reported and observed roadsafety performance indicators, Periodica Polytechnica Transportation Engineering, Vol. 46,
No. 3.
KTI regularly conducts road safety research projects. More information can be found at
http://kti.hu/.
McMahon, K. and S. Dahdah (2008), The true cost of road crashes: Valuing life and thecost of a serious injury, International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), Basingstoke,
UK, http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/ABM/Value_Injury.pdf.
Pauer, G., T. Sipos and Á. Török (2019), Statistical Analysis of the Effects of Disruptive
Factors of Driving in Simulated Environment, Transport, Vol. 34:(1), pp. 1-8.
Pauer, G., Krizsik, N., Szigeti, Sz., Hamza, Zs. (2021), Identification of Potential Risk
Factors Influencing the Road Safety Level at Designated Pedestrian Crossings, IOP
Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 1202, Issue 1, id. 012032, 9pp.
Websites
Institute for Transport Sciences (KTI): http://kti.hu/.

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Definition, methodology, data collection
Road fatality is defined as a person who dies within 30 days due to a traffic crash.
A seriously injured person is any person who sustains an injury that meets one of thefollowing criteria:•

necessitates hospitalisation for more than 48 hours within seven days of theaccident•

causes a fracture (except for finger, toe and nose fractures)•causes cuts resulting in serious bleeding or nerve, muscle or tendon injuries•causes injury of inner organs•

causes a burn of second or third-degree or a burn affecting more than 5% of the
body surface.

Hungary does not use the Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale to define a serious injury.
Data on personal injury crashes are collected by the police and form the basis of theofficial Hungarian road crash statistics.
In Hungary, the provision of road traffic crash data is governed by the government
decree on the National Statistical Data Collection Programme, in line with the Act onStatistics. It considers Council Decision 93/704/EC, which stipulates the member states
provide their safety data to the European Commission for the elaboration of a European
community database (CARE). The Hungarian national data collection system has beenadjusted to be compatible with the Common Accident Data Set (CADaS) structure.
To fulfil EU requirements, Hungary will report data on the Maximum Abbreviated Injury
Scale of 3 or more (MAIS3+). The preparation process related to the implementation of
the MAIS3+ method and related legal steps have started recently.
The quality and completeness of police reported data are relatively good for fatal crashes
and casualties. However, based on previous research, it is estimated that only 85% of
those seriously injured (based on the national definition) and 60% of those slightly
injured are reported in police records.

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