Only one person died as a result of traffic accidents in Norway’s capital, Oslo, in 2019, official figures have revealed.
The figures revealed that it was the first time ever that no children under the age of 16 died in traffic in Norway.
However, more people were killed in traffic in other parts of the country compared to the year before, with 110 deaths compared to 108 in 2018.
Local newspaper, Aftenposten, reports that the second lowest number of traffic deaths was in 2017, when three people died on Oslo’s roads.
Figures from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration showed in the past 50 years, the number of mortalities on the city’s roads have declined drastically, going down from 41 deaths in 1975.
Norway recorded the lowest number of deaths in traffic in Europe in 2017, reporting 20 incidents per one million inhabitants.
In comparison, 126 people died on London roads in 2019 as at early December, marking an increase of 22 from the same period in 2018.
Despite this, the United Kingdom is considered one of the safest countries in the European Union for traffic accidents, with under 30 deaths per one million inhabitants.
The most dangerous countries in the EU for road safety are Bulgaria and Romania, which has an average of over 90 deaths per one million inhabitants.
In 2002, the Norwegian government introduced “Vision Zero” as part of their national transport plan for 2018-2029.
Vision Zero is the basis for all road safety work in Norway, which aimed to establish a transport system in which no one is killed or severely injured in traffic.
The country achieved its low traffic mortality rate by reducing the average speed on Norwegian roads, and increasing the number of safety feature-heavy cars in the market.
In Oslo, the administration introduced restrictions on driving zones, especially in the city centre, and started establishing well-connected cycling lanes to encourage citizens to commute on two wheels instead of four.
Ingrid Dahl, Road Director, told Norwegian news site, NRK, that December was a particularly bad month for road deaths nationwide, as 14 people died, doubling the number of deaths in the same month the year before.
Vision Zero is an approach also adopted by EU member states, including the UK.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, aims to make 80 percent of all journeys in the capital car-free by 2041, as part of the city’s transport strategy, in line with Vision Zero.
