The EU`s transport chief warned Tuesday that 2014 had been a major setback for the bloc`s goal to halve the number of road deaths, with nearly 26,000 people dying last year.
Brussels has set a target for 2020 of halving the number of road deaths from the toll of 31,400 seen in 2010.
"2014 was a very bad year in terms of improving road safety on European roads," EU Transport Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc told a news conference.
"This is a wake-up call," she added.
She unveiled European Commission figures showing that there were 25,700 road deaths last year -- about 70 per day -- a decrease of only one percent from 2013.
To reach the 2020 goal, an annual reduction of eight percent a year is needed, Bulc said, adding that eight percent reductions were achieved in 2012 and 2013.
Rates varied across the 28-nation European Union, with the worst in eastern Europe.
The lowest fatality rates are in Britain, Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden, which each account for less than 30 deaths per million inhabitants, the commission said.
On the other hand, there are more than 90 dead per million inhabitants in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, it added.
The EU says it backs up national efforts to improve road safety with extra legislation and with recommendations on issues like establishing requirements for technical vehicle inspections.
