The number of deaths caused by accidents in localities increased after the pandemic, according to the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), which highlights that “Portugal has the highest urban mortality profile in the European Union”.
In a study on “evolution of accident rates and comparative analyses”, to which Lusa had access, ANSR indicates that the period between 2022 e 2025 (post-pandemic) reveals “a dichotomous evolution between inside and outside the locality”, while outside the localities “a consistent reduction in mortality is maintained (-17.8% 24 hours after the accident and -15.8% 30 days after the accident), Within the localities there is a reversal of the trend, with increases of 8% and 5.9%respectively”.
According to ANSR, both contexts register a significant increase in serious injuries.
The study also shows that within the localities for every 100 deaths in the first 24 hours, an additional 45 deaths occur within 30 dayswhile outside the localities this number is only 18“suggesting that urban accidents, although initially less fatal, often result in victims who end up dying in the following weeks”.
“In urban areas, the difference between deaths within 24 hours and within 30 days is substantially higher than that found outside localities, which suggests a greater relative weight of serious injuries whose fatal outcome occurs after the initial moment of the accident”, highlights the document, considering that “this evidence points to the need to reinforce intervention in urban environments, with special attention to speed, the protection of vulnerable users and conflicts between different modes of travel”.
The report reveals that “Portugal has the highest urban mortality profile in the EU”requiring that 55% of deaths occur in urban areas compared to 39% in the European average and just 27% in Spain.
“This pattern points to distinct problems: in Portugal, the priority for intervention is in cities (speed moderation, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, conflicts between PTW [Veículos de Duas Rodas a Motor, como motas e scooters] and urban traffic); In Spain, the priority is on interurban roads and motorways, where almost three quarters of deaths occur”, indicates the document.
ANSR also explains that the high burden of motorways in Spain (21% of deaths compared to 8% in the EU) reflects “the high density of the Spanish motorway network (2.38% of the total network, compared to 1.67% on the EU average), but also that high speed remains a risk factor even on a generally good quality network”.
Problem is concentrated on urban and rural roads
According to the report, Portuguese motorways “are relatively safe”, with “the problem concentrated on urban and rural roads”, since the proportion of motorways in the total network is even higher (21.7% of the total network), but the share of deaths on motorways is only 8%.
ANSR also states that Portugal reveals “a speeding problem declared in an urban area more severe than Spain (65.2% versus 48.4%), consistent with the predominantly urban mortality profile”.
The report also identifies a clear seasonal concentration of severity in the third quarter of the year, which brings together more than 30% of fatal victims and serious injuries, despite not concentrating an equivalent proportion of total accidents, suggesting an intensification of risk in the summer period.
Mortality rate improved, but it was not enough
The international comparison, according to the study, reveals that “Portugal has improved very significantly in the last two decadesreducing the road mortality rate per million inhabitants from 118.8 in 2005 to 58.1 in 2024″, but this evolution”was not enough to ensure convergence with safer European countries”.
In 2024, Portugal remained above the European Union average (45) and well above Spain (36.7), a country with which it shares geographic, cultural proximity and comparable mobility patterns, the document reads.
The report also shows that “the Spanish trajectory was more consistent and sustained, while Portugal recorded periods of stagnation and relapse, particularly since the middle of the last decade”, with “a problem common to the Iberian context, but especially significant in Portugal”, which is the increase in deaths due to accidents on motorcycles and mopeds.
The document is released on the day that Pedro Clemente takes office as president of ANSR, in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, who is expected to announce strategic measures related to road safety taking into account the increase in fatalities.
