COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Monitoring Road Safety Progress in the EU - Denmark Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Report on the Implementation of the EU Road Safety Policy Framework at the Mid-Point
Date: 2026-02-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: Denmark, EU investment, accident prevention, common transport policy, innovation, road safety, road transport, transport accident, transport infrastructure, transport statistics

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 13.2.2026  SWD(2026) 39 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Monitoring Road Safety Progress in the EU - Denmark Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Report on the Implementation of the EU Road Safety Policy Framework at the Mid-Point {COM(2026) 77 final} - {SWD(2026) 33 final} - {SWD(2026) 34 final} - {SWD(2026) 35 final} - {SWD(2026) 36 final} - {SWD(2026) 37 final} - {SWD(2026) 38 final} - {SWD(2026) 40 final} - {SWD(2026) 41 final} - {SWD(2026) 42 final} - {SWD(2026) 43 final} - {SWD(2026) 44 final} - {SWD(2026) 45 final} - {SWD(2026) 46 final} - {SWD(2026) 47 final} - {SWD(2026) 48 final} - {SWD(2026) 49 final} - {SWD(2026) 50 final} - {SWD(2026) 51 final} - {SWD(2026) 52 final} - {SWD(2026) 53 final} - {SWD(2026) 54 final} - {SWD(2026) 55 final} - {SWD(2026) 56 final} - {SWD(2026) 57 final} - {SWD(2026) 58 final} - {SWD(2026) 59 final}  
 
 
Contents 

1. 

2. 

2.1 

2.2 

2.3 

2.4 

2.5 

3. 

3.1 

3.2 

4. 

4.1 

4.2 

4.3 

5. 

Summary ............................................................................................................ 2 

Road Safety Strategy and Measures .................................................................. 3 

 Road Safety Strategy......................................................................................... 3 

 Road Safety Governance ................................................................................... 3 

 Main Safety Issues ............................................................................................ 4 

 Road Safety Targets .......................................................................................... 5 

 Road Safety Measures....................................................................................... 6 

Road Safety Progress ......................................................................................... 6 

 Road Safety Outcomes ...................................................................................... 6 

 Road Safety Performance Indicators ................................................................ 9 

Monitoring Road Safety Strategy Implementation .......................................... 11 

 Implementation Progress ................................................................................ 11 

 Best practices .................................................................................................. 13 

 Gaps ................................................................................................................ 15 

Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................ 16 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Denmark 

1. 

Summary 

In 2024, Denmark had the 3rd best road safety performance, with 24 road fatalities per million 
inhabitants, well below the EU average of 45 per million. In total, Denmark achieved a decrease 
of 27% in road fatalities between 2019 and 2024. In 2024, 1,037 people were seriously injured 
in road crashes, which is 19% lower than the respective figure in 2019.  

Compared to the EU average, the distribution of fatalities in Denmark shows a relatively high 
proportion of cyclist  fatalities, especially  inside urban areas. This  should, however, be seen 
against the fact, that Denmark has one of the highest rates of bicycle use in the EU, especially 
in the cities. 

In 2021, a large majority of the political parties represented in the Danish parliament agreed on 
the “Infrastructure plan 2035”, which is  a full funded investment  plan with  regard to  the 
transport area. As part of the plan, a fund of DKK 700 million was established for the period 
2022-2035 to enhance road safety. The fund ensures long-term investments in traffic safety 
while  remaining  flexible  to  adapt  to  evolving  priorities.  This  agility  allows  resources  to  be 
directed where they are most needed, ensuring the most effective improvements to road safety 
over time. 

In 1986, the Danish government established the independent Danish Road Safety Commission. 
The Commission consists of representatives from the Danish Parliament and stakeholders. The 
scope of the Commission is to put forward proposals for road safety initiatives that can reduce 
the  number  of  road  traffic  crashes.  The  Commission  may  also  submit  assessments  and 
proposals  in  terms  of new traffic legislation. In  2020, the Commission published its  Action 
Plan  for  2021-2030,  which  contains  a  target  of  less  than  90  fatalities  and  900  seriously 
injured in 2030. Also, an additional target of no more than 10,000 slight injuries in 2030 has 
been defined.  

The  Danish  government  has  not  adopted  the  action  plan  nor  the  targets  regarding  the 
maximum number of fatalities and injured in traffic in 2030. The action plan does, however, 
serve as inspiration when launching new road safety initiatives within the framework of the 
“Denmark Forward  -  Infrastructure plan 2035”  and for other political agreements involving 
road safety.  

In order to  follow up on the development  of traffic crashes in  Denmark  “The Danish  Road 
Directorate” produces a monthly report on statistics of traffic crashes as well as yearly reports 
on traffic crashes.  

Based on the latest available data, in 2024, Denmark appears to be well on track to meet the 
2030  target  of  reducing  road  fatalities  as  stated  in  the  independent  Danish  Road  Safety 
Commission’s Action Plan. On the other hand, Denmark risks falling short of reaching the 
2030 target of reducing serious injuries. 

Finally, it should be noted that for many decades the Danish governments and authorities have 
undertaken a great number of measures to improve road safety. These measures include road 
safety education as part of the school curriculum, road safety campaigns, police enforcement, 
road infrastructure investment and a focus on safety technology in vehicles.  

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  Road Safety Strategy and Measures 

2.1  Road Safety Strategy 

As part of the fully funded investment plan ‘Denmark Forward - Infrastructure Plan 2035’1 a 
large majority of the political parties represented in the Danish Parliament established a fund 
of DKK 700 million for the period 2022-2035 to enhance road safety. The fund ensures long-
term investments in traffic safety while remaining flexible by allowing resources to be directed 
where they are most needed. This flexibility enables the government to take the Danish Road 
Directorate’s continuous road statistics into account ensuring that investments are targeted at 
the most critical areas.  

In 2020, The independent Danish Road Safety Commission published its Action Plan for the 
decade 2021-2030. The commission consists of representatives from the Danish Parliament 
and  stakeholders,  and  are  appointed  by  the  Minister  of  Transport.  Every  actor,  who  is 
represented in the Danish Road Safety Commission, had the opportunity to contribute to the 
Action Plan. 

The Danish Road Safety Commission’s action plan is based on the assumption that crashes can 
be prevented, and that the severity of injuries can be reduced through legislation and control, 
education and campaigns as well as road engineering and safety technology in the vehicles.  

The action plan consists of two documents: the “Targets and Strategy” document describes the 
objective and the focus areas as well as some of the preconditions of the plan, while the specific 
measures to obtain the objective are described in the document “Recommended Actions”2. 

The Danish government has not adopted the action plan nor the targets regarding the maximum 
number of fatalities and  injured in  traffic in  2030. The  action plan does, however, serve as 
inspiration when launching new road safety initiatives within the framework of the “Denmark 
Forward - Infrastructure plan 2035” and for other political agreements involving road safety. 

Table 8.1: Danish road safety commission action plan 2021-2030  

Timeframe 
Lead Authority 

Link 

Source: national sources 

Denmark 
2021-2030 
Danish Road Safety Commission 
https://www.faerdselssikkerhedskommissionen.dk/media/eymfxr0n/fsk_resum
e_handlingsplaneng_2021-2030_final.pdf 

2.2  Road Safety Governance 

Danish Road safety governance is characterized by a broad range of stakeholders’ shared 
interest  in  improving  road  safety.  These  stakeholders  include  public  authorities,  interest 
groups, the media and private actors. The reduction in road fatalities is the result of targeted 

1 National sources: Aftale om infrastrukturplan 2035 
2https://www.faerdselssikkerhedskommissionen.dk/media/eymfxr0n/fsk_resume_handlingsplaneng_2021-
2030_final.pdf 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
efforts through various measures implemented by these actors. This multidisciplinary approach 
is a strength, fostering public acceptance of measures and encouraging an engaging debate on 
how to improve road safety for everyone. Along with road users’ personal responsibility to act 
carefully  and responsibly  in  traffic, a strong sense of community can reduce the number of 
crashes and create safe mobility on and around the road network.  

An example of the multidisciplinary approach to road safety is the initiative to prevent right-
turn  crashes  between  cyclists  and  lorries.  In  this  effort,  many  stakeholders  collaborate  on 
several initiatives aimed at vehicle safety, driver behaviour and road design. These stakeholders 
include the transport and logistics industry, trade unions, the Danish Cyclists’ Association, the 
Danish Road Safety Council, the Danish Transport Authority, the police, municipalities, the 
Danish Road Directorate, and the Danish Road Accident Investigation Board (AIB). 
Also,  the  Danish  Road  Directorate  is  responsible  for  the  monitoring  of  road  safety 
developments in the country. Each year the Danish Road Directorate publishes a statistical 
description of traffic crashes in Denmark, as well as an extended analysis, which contains a 
more thorough analysis of road fatalities in Denmark. The Danish Road Accident Investigation 
Board,  reporting  to  the  Minister  for  Transport,  also  conducts  in-depth  analyses  of  serious 
crashes, which have been done since 2001. 

2.3  Main Safety Issues 

The 2023 statistical report on traffic crashes, published by the Danish Road Directorate, shows 
the distribution of injury crashes by type of crash in 2019-2023 (Table 8.2). 

Table 8.2: Distribution of injury crashes by type of crash,  
2019-2023  

Type of crash 

Crashes involving turning and crossing 
Single-vehicle crashes 
Pedestrian crashes 
Rear-end and merging collisions 
Head-on collisions 
Crashes with parked vehicles, animals, or objects 

Distribution of  
injury crashes 
39% 
18% 
15% 
14% 
8% 
5% 

The Danish Road Directorate also reveals the main crash factors related to fatal crashes in the 
yearly report about fatalities. The table below contains the top eight crash factors leading to 
fatal crashes in 2023. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 8.3: Distribution of fatal crashes by crash factor, 2023  

Crash factor 

Lack of/insufficient attention 
Lack of/insufficient orientation 
Under the influence of alcohol/drugs/medicine 
Lack of/incorrect reaction or manoeuvre 
Risky driving 
Speed relative to speed limit 
Inappropriate road design 
Incorrect positioning 

Percentage of  
fatal crashes 
45% 
35% 
25% 
17% 
17% 
14% 
13% 
10% 

Based on these statistics, the following main safety issues arise, which are also mirrored in the 
Danish Road Safety Commission’s focus areas:  

•  Single  vehicle  crashes:  A  large  number  of  fatalities  has  been  registered  as  single 
vehicle crashes on rural roads. Single vehicle crashes are usually a result of a vehicle 
driving off the road – e.g. because the driver falls asleep, is distracted, inattentive, drives 
too fast and / or loses control – or by the vehicle hitting a refuge, a signal mast or similar 
object on the road. 

•  Head-on  collisions:  The  most  serious  head-on  collisions  are  registered  on  ordinary 
roads with one lane in each direction in rural areas. Often, at least one of the vehicles 
has driven faster than the speed limit.  

•  Crashes at intersections: Over 70% of the injured at intersections in urban areas in the 
period 2015-2019 were  vulnerable road users. Crashes at  intersections often involve 
road user errors such as inadequate orientation, inattention or speeding. 

•  Vulnerable road users: Vulnerable road users in urban areas make up the vast majority 
of seriously injured, partly in crashes with cyclists and moped riders in intersections 
and partly in crashes with pedestrians. A large proportion of vulnerable road users are 
also killed on rural roads.  

•  Young drivers: Crashes where at least one driver was under 25 years old and driving 
either  a  passenger  car  or  a  van  are  consistently  overrepresented  in  the  statistics  of 
fatalities and injuries. 

2.4  Road Safety Targets 

The independent Danish Road Safety Commission has set the following targets in their Road 
Safety Action Plan 2021-2030: 

• 

In 2030, the number of road traffic fatalities should be 90 or below 

• 

In  2030,  the  number  of  road  traffic  seriously  injured  (in  terms  of  the  Danish 
definition) should be 900 or below3 

3The Danish definition does not correspond to the definition of seriously injured in the CARE database. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
• 

In 2030, no more than 10,000 persons should be slightly injured in road traffic.  

The  target  of  less  than  90  fatalities  and  900  seriously  injured  in  2030  are  based  on  police 
reported road crashes, which are the data used in national statistics. The additional target of no 
more than 10,000 slightly injured in 2030 is based on data from the Danish National Patient 
Registry. 

2.5  Road Safety Measures 

The independent Danish Road Safety Commission’s Action Plan includes a total of 52 road 
safety recommendations divided into six main categories.  

Table 8.4: Main categories and number of actions in the independent Road Safety 
Commission’s Action Plan 

Main Category 

1.  Teaching and communication 

2.  Road design and traffic management 

3.  Legislation, sanction and control 

4.  Vehicles and safety equipment 

5.  Accident data 

6.  Research and cooperation 

Total 

Actions 

19 

8 

10 

3 

4 

8 

52 

Stakeholders,  both  at  the  national  and  the  municipal  levels  and  in  both  public  and  private 
sectors, may implement these recommendations when working with road safety improvements. 
The  recommendations  aim  to  achieve  the  overall  objective  of  preventing  accidents  and 
reducing the severity of injuries if an accident does occur. 

3.  Road Safety Progress 

3.1  Road Safety Outcomes 

In Denmark, 145 people were killed and 1,037 people were seriously injured in road crashes in 
20244. Based on data for 2024 Denmark was 3rd out of the 27 EU countries in terms of the 
lowest  numbers  of  fatalities  per  million  inhabitants.  In  fact,  24  road  fatalities  per  million 
inhabitants were recorded in 2024, which is well below the EU average (45).  

4 Number of seriously injured is based on national data and differs from data in CARE database due to different 
definitions used. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 8.1 Mortality rates by country, 2024  

Sources: CARE database on road crashes; population data from Eurostat (online data code demo_pjan). 

In 2024, the number of road fatalities decreased by 27% compared to 2019. Thus, Denmark 
appears to  be  well on track  to meet the 2030 target of  reducing road fatalities to 90 or 
below as stated in the independent Danish Road Safety Commission’s Action Plan.  

Also, according to national statistics, the number of serious injuries decreased by 8% in 2023 
compared  to  2019.  Denmark  therefore  risks  falling  short  of  reaching  the  2030  target  of 
reducing  serious  injuries  as  stated  in  the  independent  Danish  Road  Safety  Commission’s 
Action Plan.  

It should be noted that the independent Danish Road Safety Commission has set the average of 
2017-2019 as the baseline. See the different baseline values below.  

Fatalities  
Serious injuries  

DK Baseline: 2017-2019 
182 
1813 

EU Baseline: 2019 
199 
1822 

However, in order to make better comparisons across the EU this report primarily use the EU 
baseline of 2019. This is also the baseline chosen in the graphs below comparing the number 
of fatalities (CARE database) and serious injuries (Danish national statistics) with the target 
stated in the independent Danish Road Safety Commission’s Action Plan of 90 fatalities and 
900 serious injuries in 2030. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 8.2 Road crash fatalities and target 2030  
(Source CARE database) 5 

Figure 8.3 Serious road injuries  
(Source: Trafikulykker for året 2023)6 

Compared to the EU average, the distribution of fatalities in Denmark shows a relatively high 
proportion of cyclist  fatalities,  especially  inside urban areas7. In fact,  cyclists accounted for 
15% of road fatalities in 2024 and 24% of serious injuries in 2023. This should be seen against 

5 It is noted that the global COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the CARE data for 2020 and 2021 for many 
European countries. Traffic volumes dropped sharply during the pandemic due to traffic restrictions, which was 
associated with a significant drop in road traffic crashes and fatalities. 
6 National data on serious injuries differ from the CARE data, due to the different definition used.  
7  European  Commission  (2023),  Country  Profile  Denmark.  Road  Safety  Observatory.  Brussels,  European 
Commission, Directorate General for Transport. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
the fact, that Denmark has one of the highest rates of bicycle use in the EU, especially in the 
cities. 

An overview of the evolution of road crash fatalities during the period 2019-2024 is provided 
below for specific types of roads, crashes and road users. The data is provided from the CARE 
database and differ from national data. Overall, in Denmark, road crash fatalities declined for 
all  groups  examined  below.  The  largest  reduction  was  recorded  in  PTW  riders’  fatalities 
(53%).  

Table 8.5: Evolution of road fatalities, 2019-2024 

Road Crash Fatalities 

2019 

Total road fatalities 

Inside urban areas 

Outside urban areas 

Motorways 

Single vehicle crashes 

Multi vehicle crashes 

Car occupants 

PTW riders 

Cyclists 

Pedestrians 

199 

64 

121 

14 

63 

110 

87 

40 

31 

30 

2024 

145 

40 

94 

11 

41 

75 

69 

19 

22 

29 

%  
in 2024 

% change 
2019-2024 

- 

28% 

65% 

8% 

28% 

52% 

48% 

13% 

15% 

20% 

-27% 

-38% 

-22% 

-21% 

-35% 

-32% 

-21% 

-53% 

-29% 

-3% 

3.2  Road Safety Performance Indicators 

The use rates of seat-belts among passenger car occupants are higher in Denmark compared to 
the average EU rates. Self-reported drink-driving is lower than the EU average. The age of the 
passenger car fleet is lower than the EU average.  

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 8.6: Road Safety Performance Indicators, 2022 or latest available year (Source: ERSO, 
Country Profiles) 

Speeding8 
% of passenger cars travelling within speed limits a 

Denmark 

EU 

Motorways 

Speed limit 110km/h 
Speed limit 130km/h 

Rural Roads 
Urban Roads (50km/h) 
Large towns & cities 
Small towns 

Seat belt & RS use rates (%) a,b  

Front 
Rear 
Child restraint systems (roadside observations) 
Child restraint systems (in-vehicle inspections) 

Helmet use rates (%) a  

PTW driver 
PTW passenger 
Cyclist9 

Adults in city traffic 
Children on the way to and from school 

DUI of Alcoholc 
(self-reported) 

% of car drivers who have driven at least once in the 
last 30 days over the legal limit 

Driver Distraction a 

% of drivers not using hand-held mobile device/phone 
while driving 

Vehicle Safety 

% of new passenger cars rated with 4 EuroNCAP stars 
and above a 
Average age of passenger car fleet (years)d 

45.4 
80.4 
60.6 

58.3 
53.2 

97.0 
89.0 
/ 
/ 

/ 
/ 
/ 
50.0 
79.0 

10.6 

/ 

/ 

9.6 

Sources: a Baseline project, b ETSC (2022), c ESRA3 project (2024), d ACEA (2025) 

- 

- 

93.1 
75.3 
67.0 
- 

97.0 
94.4 
37.8 
- 
- 

11.8 

94.8 

83.6 

12.5 

8 An EU average is not available for speeding, due to different legal speed limits among countries, which does not 
allow for a straightforward comparison.  
9 The Danish Road Safety Council collects data on helmet use among cyclists, however, there is not one combined 
percentage for all cyclists. 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  Monitoring Road Safety Strategy Implementation 

The Danish Road Directorate continually follows and analyses crash data to monitor road 
user behaviour, for example in the monthly traffic crash statistics. Additionally, The Danish 
Road Accident Investigation Board conducts yearly in-depth reports on specific traffic issues.  

Furthermore, the  Independent  Danish  Road Safety  Commission  conducts  yearly monitoring 
reviews on Danish road safety statistics and 8 selected key Performance Indicators (KPI’s):  

1.  Speed 
2.  Helmet use 
3.  Affected by alcohol, drugs and medicine 
4.  Distraction/inattention 
5.  Conditions of the car fleet 
6.  Use of seatbelt 
7.  Road safety education in primary school 
8.  Municipal road safety action plans 

Twice during the planning period, a more thorough status review is to be carried out with 
regard to meeting the objective and implementing the 52 recommended actions. One of these 
more thorough status reviews was carried out in 2024.   

4.1  Implementation Progress 

The following section outlines central road safety progress areas in Denmark. The progress of 
road safety in Denmark is the result of a broad range of authorities and stakeholders sharing an 
interest in improving road safety for many decades. 

Denmark also continually gathers and analyses crash data to monitor developments in road 
safety. For example, through a yearly statistical description of traffic crashes in Denmark, as 
well as an extended analysis of road fatalities in Denmark (both published by the Danish Road 
Directorate). 

The Danish government has not adopted a national road safety policy nor an action plan, and 
therefore it has not been relevant to follow the common structure in this part of the chapter.   

Safe Road User Behaviour 

• 

In  Denmark,  learning  about  traffic  and  road  user  behaviour  in  primary  school  is 
mandatory. This has been mandatory for decades. 

•  When  acquiring  a  driver's  license,  everyone  must  receive  training  in  road  safety 

behaviour. 

to 

•  The Danish Road Safety Council is responsible for information and targeted campaigns 
directed 
in  all  categories.  All  campaigns  are  available  at: 
Kampagner|SikkerTrafik.dk. The Danish Road Directorate and several municipalities run 
their own campaigns as specific supplements to the nationwide campaigns from the Safety 
council. 

road  users 

•  The  police  enforce  speed  limits,  alcohol/drugs,  awareness,  and  traffic  behaviour  in 

general. 

•  The Danish Road Directorate continually follows and analyses crash data amongst other 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
subjects to monitor road user behaviour. 

Safe Speeds 

•  The Danish Road Safety Council is responsible for nationwide campaigns, where some 

• 

of them are targeted at speed. 
In 2021, the legal order regarding local speed limits was changed. For a period of four 
years local road authorities have been given an easier access to lowering speed limits to 
40 km per hour in certain urban areas. 

•  The police enforce speed limits. 
•  The Danish Road Directorate continually monitors the development in speed on the road 
network. The results are publicly available at: Trafikkens udvikling i tal|Vejdirektoratet at 
“Udvikling i hastigheder”. 

Safe Roads 

•  The Danish Road standards have a high degree of focus on safe design of roads for all 
road users and they are widely followed. Investigations regarding safe design are carried 
out and incorporated in standards and design recommendations are dispersed to local road 
authorities.  

• 

•  Systematic road safety audit of new road infrastructure and redesign of existing roads is 
an important part of Danish practice in road design. An evaluation from 2013 showed a 
wide satisfaction with the system and a cost-benefit ratio of 1,25.  
Identification and treatment of hazardous road locations have been a major part of the 
Danish road safety work since the 1970’s. 
In general, there is a focus on road safety in everyday maintenance, e.g. visibility of and 
audio effect from road markings and rumble strips. 

• 

•  Different evaluations in later years: 

o  Evaluation of design of bike lanes  at signalized intersections. The evaluation 
showed truncated bike lanes as the safer alternative to full-length bike paths.  

o  Evaluation of permanently mounted speed cameras  
o  Road safety at road access points 
o  Road safety at intersections with protected left-turn phase 
o  Safety effect from rumble strips. Danish before-after study shows a decrease of 
41%  in  crashes  when  implementing  rumble  strips  in  the  middle  of  the  road 
combined with rumble strips along the shoulder.  

•  The Danish Road Directorate publishes a catalogue with safety effects from a number 

of traffic safety measures. 

Safe Vehicles 

•  Vehicles are to a large extent regulated by EU legislation. Denmark has pushed for the 
implementation  of  safer  truck  designs  to  reduce  the  risk  of  right  turn  crashes  with 
cyclists. 

•  Efforts towards minimizing right-turning crashes with trucks over the last two decades are 
described in the following publication: Prevention of Right-Turn Accidents in Denmark 
In Denmark vehicles attend periodic technical inspection. Trucks attend every year. Vans 
and passenger cars attend every 2nd year after the age of four. 

• 

•  Police enforcement 
•  An evaluation on Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEV) shows among other results a 

crash frequency for e-scooters 7 times higher than for bikes.  

12 

 
 
Post Crash Care 

•  There are political targets for the time it takes for ambulances to reach crash sites. 
•  The Accident Analysis Group at Odense University Hospital have specialized in trauma 

• 

treatment and publish results and recommendations. 
In  Denmark  learning  about  traffic  and  first  aid  at  traffic  crashes  in  primary  school  is 
mandatory.  

•  When acquiring a driver's license, everyone must receive training in first aid. 

4.2 

 Best practices 

Best practice in Denmark can best be summarised as perseverance. Since the early 1970s, the 
number of fatalities has decreased, even though traffic volumes have increased significantly 
over  the  same  period.  This  success  is  attributed  to  a  determined  multidisciplinary  focus  on 
ensuring safer cars, safer roads and safer road users. During this period, Denmark introduced 
several key road safety regulations such as seat belt requirements, a BAC limit of 0.5, general 
speed limits (both in and outside urban areas) and child restraint system in cars.  

Figure 8.4 Road fatalities and traffic in Denmark 1930-2023.   
(Source: Trafikulykker for året 2023) 

An  important  contributor  to  the  decline  in  serious  traffic  crashes  is  the  identification  and 
improvement of hazardous road locations. This has been a major part of road safety work at 
both  national  and municipal level  since the 1970s. This  ongoing  work is combined with  an 
increasing  focus  on  preventive  road  safety  initiatives  regarding  infrastructure.  The  sector 
constantly updates its knowledge with regards to creating safe infrastructure.  

In recent years, there has been focus on finding effective, safe solutions for infrastructure aimed 
at cyclists. A study conducted a before-and-after evaluation of 159 redesigned solutions for 
cyclists at signalised intersections in urban areas. The study found that the safest solution for 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
cyclists at urban intersections is when the cycle lane is shortened before the intersections and 
bicyclist  share  an  area  with  right-turning  vehicles.  The  results  from  the study  are  shown  in 
figure 8.5.  

Figure 8.5 Road safety for bicyclist at urban signalized intersections. Numbers in black are 
statistically significant results and numbers in grey are tentative results. Arrows indicate an 
intersection changed from one design to the other. Percentage indicate the decrease/increase in 
accidents.    
(Source: Danish Road Directorate10) 

To  disseminate  this  knowledge  to  everyone  working  with  infrastructure  in  Denmark,  it  is 
incorporated into the Danish Road Standards. This means that results from the before-and-after 
study  on  cycle  solutions  at  urban  intersections  are  incorporated  in  various  road  standards 
ensuring that new intersections and redesigns of existing intersections are based on the most 
up-to-date knowledge.  

The Danish Road Standards are formulated in close cooperation with participants from various 
parts  of  the  sector.  Road  standard  groups  are  responsible  for  different  aspects  of  the 
infrastructure,  such  as  urban  roads,  intelligent  transport  system  (ITS)  and  traffic  safety. 
Moreover the effects of road safety measures are regularly published in an online catalogue: 
Effekthåndbog - Trafiksikkerhed og vejtekniske virkemidler (only in Danish).  

Besides infrastructure improvements, Denmark has a long tradition for influencing safe road 
user behaviour through humorous campaigns. This is an ongoing work, with no expiry date; 
perseverance  is  the  key.  The  Danish  Road  Safety  Council  is  responsible  for  nationwide 
campaigns,  and  their  material  from  recent  years  is  available  at  sikkertrafik.dk/kampagner. 
Campaigns target main safety issues identified in accident statistics and align with focus areas 
identified in the Road Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 by the independent Danish Road Safety 
Commission. 

An example of the multidisciplinary approach to  road safety in Denmark is the initiative to 

10 Sikkerhed for cyklister i signalkryds med afkortede og fremførte cykelstier og i 
Rundkørsler i byer 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
prevent right-turn crashes between cyclists and lorries. In this effort, the transport and logistics 
industry, trade unions, the Danish Cyclists’ Association, the Danish Road Safety Council, the 
Danish Transport Authority, the police, municipalities, the Danish Road Directorate, and the 
Danish Road Accident Investigation Board (AIB) collaborated on several initiatives aimed at 
vehicle  safety,  driver  behaviour  and  road  design.  These  initiatives  have  raised  awareness 
among drivers and cyclists and contributed to a reduction in the number of right-turn crashes. 
The specific initiatives can be found in the following publication:  Prevention of Right-Turn 
Accidents in Denmark.  

4.3 

 Gaps 

While the general development is positive for most road users the number of injured and 
killed vulnerable road users has stagnated. 

Figure 8.6 Fatalities and injured   
(Sources: Source: Trafikulykker for året 2023) 

Number of fatalities and injured distributed between motor vehicles (blue line) and bicycles/pedestrians (Red line) in the 
period 2013-2023. The bicycle category includes regular bicycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, and mobility scooters. 

Elderly road users constitute a significant portion of the statistics of killed and injured VRUs. 
Concurrently, demographic developments in Denmark indicate that elderly road users will 
constitute a larger proportion of road users in the future. As part of the investment plan 
“Denmark Forward - Infrastructure plan 2035” funds have been allocated in 2025 to 
enhance understanding of elderly (age 65+) road users and their behaviour in traffic.  

In order to decrease fatalities and injuries among vulnerable road users, the Danish Road 
Directorate expects to invest in more research on this group. In 2025, the Danish Road 
Directorate plans to conduct two thematic reports on pedestrians and cyclists based on the 
Danish in-depth fatal accident analyses.  

In addition, a new national cycling strategy is expected to be adopted in 2025. The strategy 
will have a focus on improving road safety for cyclists. The strategy is also a part of the 
investment plan “Denmark Forward - Infrastructure plan 2035”, with a total investment 
of 3,5 billion DKK from 2021-2035 for new cycling infrastructure.  

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5. Conclusions and Recommendations 

In 2021 a large majority of the political parties represented in the Danish Parliament adopted 
the fully funded investment plan “Denmark Forward - Infrastructure plan 2035”. As part 
of the plan, a fund of DKK 700 million for the period 2022-2035 was established to enhance 
road safety. The fund ensures long-term investments in traffic safety while remaining flexible 
to adapt to evolving priorities. This agility allows resources to be directed where they are most 
needed, ensuring the most effective improvements to road safety over time. 

The  independent  Danish  Road  Safety  Commission,  consisting  of  representatives  from  the 
Danish Parliament and stakeholders, have in their action plan for the decade 2021-2030, the 
targets of less than 90 road fatalities and 900 seriously injured in 2030. Also, an additional 
target of no more than 10,000 slight injuries in 2030 has been defined. A total of 52 road safety 
recommended actions grouped into six main categories are included in the plan.  

The  Danish  government  has  not  adopted  the  action  plan  nor  the  targets  regarding  the 
maximum number of fatalities and injured in traffic in 2030. The action plan does, however, 
serve as inspiration when launching new road safety initiatives within the framework of the 
“Denmark Forward  -  Infrastructure plan 2035” and for other political agreements involving 
road safety. 

In  2024,  Denmark,  with  24  road  fatalities  per  million  inhabitants,  was  3rd  of  the  27  EU 
countries in terms of the lowest numbers of fatalities per population. Compared to the EU 
average, the distribution of fatalities in Denmark shows a relatively high proportion of cyclists, 
especially inside urban areas. This should, however, be seen in a context where Denmark has 
one of the highest rates of bicycle use in the EU, especially in the cities. 

Based  on  data,  between  2019  and  2024,  a  decrease  of  27%  in  road  fatalities  was  recorded, 
indicating that Denmark is well on track to meet the 2030 target of reducing road fatalities 
as  stated  in  the  independent  Danish  Road  Safety  Commission’s  Action  Plan.  Also, 
according  to  national  statistics,  the  number  of  serious  injuries  decreased  by  8%  in  2023 
compared to 2019. However, despite this decrease, Denmark risks falling short of reaching the 
2030  target  of  reducing  serious  injuries  as  stated  in  the  independent  Danish  Road  Safety 
Commission’s Action Plan. 

Finally, it should be noted that for many decades the Danish governments and authorities have 
undertaken a great number of measures to improve road safety. These measures include road 
safety education as part of the school curriculum, road safety campaigns, police enforcement, 
road  infrastructure  investment  and  a  focus  on  safety  technology  in  vehicles.  Many  parties 
contribute to the ongoing work with improving road safety in Denmark. 

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