In the 70s road deaths in Sweden were prevalent—58 children under-seven died in a road related accidents in 1970 alone. Now, Sweden has one of the lowest road related mortality rates of any country, just three per 100,000—compared to 5.5 in the European Union, or 11.4 in the US. So how did they do it? With an emphasis on safety instead of speed. Engineering to save lives is at the forefront of Swedish road design. The Swede’s “2+1” road design where there is a three-lane road, two lanes go in opposite directions, and the middle alternates directions for passing, is estimated to have saved 145 lives in the first 10 years it was used. There are also nearly 13,000 safe pedestrian crossings around Sweden that help save lives and keep road deaths to a minimum.
Sweden is close to nearly zero road deaths per year
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