"Open Youth" had sent a delegation for the 4th European Road Safety Day.

Road crashes are still the biggest cause of death and disability for young people, in both the world and Europe. 19% of road fatalities in the EU in 2010 affected young people aged between 18-25 years old (although this age group comprises only 10% of the total population). This means that those aged between 18-25 face almost twice as high a risk of dying in traffic accidents. The European Commission is therefore dedicating its 4th European Road Safety Day to young people. The day is marked by a conference, jointly organised with the Cyprus Presidency, which will take place on 25 July in Nicosia. The conference brings together youth groups, road safety organisations and road safety officials from all EU Member States, as well as from neighbouring countries for a day of discussions, presentations and workshops.

Vice President Siim Kallas responsible for Transport said, "The tragic loss of young lives on European roads is unacceptable. I am most concerned by accidents due to drugs or alcohol, especially among young men and women. I am optimistic that we can advance towards our 'vision zero' for EU road safety, as we made good progress in the last 10 years. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go. Only by changing young people's driving mentality can we continue to save lives."

Young people aged between 18 and 25 are over-represented in road traffic fatalities. In 2010:

- 31 000 fatalities in road accidents took place.

- 19% of these involved young people between 18 and 25 years old.

- In 40 % of fatal accidents a young driver was involved.

- 25% of fatalities involving car drivers are young people - 81% boys and 19% girls.

- Road fatalities of young people per transport mode: 66% passenger cars, 20% powered two wheelers, 2% pedestrians, 8% pedal cyclists , 4% others ( HGV, bus …)

In the host country of the 4th European Road Safety Day, the figures are even more alarming. In Cyprus this age group represented 23% of all road fatalities. More data on road accidents per age group and country can be found in the European Commission CARE database.

Road fatalities among young people are not inevitable. Road deaths for the 18-25 age group decreased by 49% from 2001 to 2010, more than the general decrease (43%). Young car drivers are particularly vulnerable, however, for this group road deaths also decreased by 55% during the same period.

In order to reach the ambitious objective of cutting road deaths in Europe in half by 2020, young people must be actively involved. The European youth must be encouraged to contribute to road safety, for example by sharing their own ideas on new ways forward.