Deadly roads in Hungary? This is how safe we really are on the go
Fresh Eurostat figures paint a sobering picture of road safety across Europe, with more than 20,000 people losing their lives on EU roads in 2023, and Hungary being on the lower half of the table.
While the continent has launched numerous traffic-safety initiatives in recent years, stark regional disparities remain. Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe continue to register the highest fatality rates – and Hungary, despite sitting in the statistical mid-range, still performs worse than the EU average.
A new analysis by CHART by Pénzcentrum highlights both long-standing structural issues and emerging accident patterns across Hungary’s road network. According to the report, speeding, the deteriorating condition of rural roads, overloaded national routes and insufficient pedestrian protection continue to play a major role in fatal collisions. In addition, changing mobility habits are contributing to new types of accidents that require targeted intervention.
Europe’s dangerous hotspots
Across Europe, an average of sixty people die on the roads every day. The 2023 data shows that the most alarming statistics are found in the south-eastern part of the continent. Bulgaria’s Severozapaden region recorded a staggering 166 fatalities per million inhabitants – the highest rate in the European Union. Nearby regions in Romania and Greece also reported well above 100 deaths per million.
At the other end of the scale, road safety in some parts of the EU has reached exemplary levels. The Finnish Åland Islands and Spain’s autonomous city of Melilla both reported zero road deaths in 2023, while major urban regions also performed well. Brussels recorded just five deaths per million inhabitants, Vienna six and Berlin nine, confirming that well-developed urban infrastructure can significantly reduce fatality rates.
Hungary in the European context
Hungary registered 472 road deaths in 2023, corresponding to 49 fatalities per million inhabitants – slightly above the EU average of 46. Although far from the worst-performing regions in Europe, the country’s internal disparities remain significant.
Budapest and Pest County continue to be the safest areas. The capital recorded 44 deaths (26 per million), while Pest County registered 64 (48 per million), both showing a mild improvement compared to previous years. Western Hungary – including Central, Western and Southern Transdanubia – reported moderate figures, with around 50–60 fatalities in each region.
The highest risk areas were located in eastern and southern Hungary. Altogether, 204 people died in accidents in the Great Plain and Northern Hungary. While Northern Hungary’s per-capita figure (46) pulled the regional rate downward, both the Northern Great Plain (52) and particularly the Southern Great Plain (68) stood above the national average. The Southern Great Plain also recorded the highest number of deaths overall, with 81 fatalities.
Infrastructure pressure and heavy traffic corridors
Europe’s busiest transport hubs – such as northern Italy, France, Belgium and southern Germany – continue to experience the highest absolute number of accidents due to sheer traffic volume. Similar patterns appear in Hungary: key national routes and high-traffic corridors repeatedly feature among the most dangerous sections of the country’s road network.
Longer emergency response times in rural areas, insufficient infrastructure investment and frequent speeding contribute to Hungary’s elevated risk profile. According to CHART by Pénzcentrum, these issues, combined with increasingly complex mobility patterns, highlight the need for renewed road-safety strategies.
How does Hungary compare to regional neighbours?
Within Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary sits firmly in the mid-field. Austria (44 deaths per million) and the Czech Republic (46) performed better, while Slovakia’s rate (49) was nearly identical to Hungary’s. Poland reported a higher figure at 52, but Romania remains the region’s outlier with an alarming national average of 81 deaths per million – and more than 100 per million in some of its regions.
Slow progress, uneven gains
Overall, road safety in Hungary has improved in recent years, particularly in large urban areas and economically stronger western regions. However, the high fatality rates in the east and south underscore the need for targeted investments: better rural infrastructure, safer junctions, more effective speed control and improved emergency response capacity.
As European data continues to reveal deep contrasts between regions, Hungary’s challenge remains clear: improving safety on its busiest and most hazardous routes, while addressing the structural inequalities that keep parts of the country among the riskier areas of the EU road network.