News | Moldova takes a major step towards a safer system with a 5-year National Road Safety Programme

Published on: July 08, 2025

On 5 June 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Moldova approved the country’s new National Road Safety Programme 2025-2030.

The main objective of this strategic document is to reduce number of casualties in Moldova by 50% by 2030, aligning with the international Sustainable Development Goals and UN Resolution A/RES/74/299 as well as with existing national goals as set out in the country’s Mobility Strategy 2030 and the National EU Accession Plan 2024 – 2027.

The Programme is based on five priority areas and outlines concrete actions to be implemented over the next five years with oversight by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

This includes:

  • strengthening road safety management capacity
  • improving road safety infrastructure
  • enhancing vehicle safety systems
  • educating road users and strengthening law enforcement capacity, and
  • improving post-crash response and care

Recognising the growing risk for pedestrians and cyclists, which account for a significant share of all road casualties in Moldova, and the increased need for transport resilience, the Programme includes key strategic elements aimed at protecting vulnerable road users and encouraging modal shift towards more sustainable transport options.

This includes a major emphasis on the creation of safe cycle lanes to properly delineate traffic, the development of public transport to facilitate multi-modal mobility, traffic calming measures that encourage slower speeds, and modernised junctions and crossings that prioritise mobility and accessibility.

In total, the action plan includes 62 specific targets, among them  the training of approximately 500 road safety specialists and 500 teachers, 24 new objectives for safer infrastructure, the mandating of routine vehicle inspections, the implementation of 30km/h speed zones around all schools, improved data collection through the adoption of CADaS variables, and firm commitments to definite targets for the reduction of road traffic crashes, law violations and fatalities.

Moldova has already established itself as a global success story in improving road safety. It was one of few countries to come close to achieving the ambitious target of reducing road traffic deaths by 50%, set by the first UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, with a 48% reduction.

However, the rate of road casualties in the country remains significantly higher than the EU average of 4.55. Between 2023 and 2024, Moldova’s positive trend also reversed with a 1.4% increase in the rate of crashes, corresponding to a 5.6% increase in road traffic deaths. In financial terms, this represents an economic cost of approximately $450 million USD.

The National Road Safety Programme therefore represents a firm and decisive step toward a Safer System in Moldova, one that protects all road users and supports financial and economic development over the next five years.

The development of the National Road Safety Programme was supported by World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with technical support from EASST and the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM).