Our impact
Annual reported fatalities
Road fatalities per million inhabitants
The disaster, which resulted in 59 deaths, was one of the worst in Portugal’s history. It highlighted the ageing infrastructure in one of the country’s most remote regions, as well as the nation’s poor record on
road safety.
Twenty years on, the region inland from Portugal’s second city Porto, and the centre of production for the world-renowned Port wine, has been transformed by a network of modern roads and motorways.
At the same time, road safety has maderapid progress across the country as attitudes to safety and driving habits have changed.
By 2015, road fatalities had fallen to 57 per million inhabitants from well over 150 in 2001, according to a European Commission road safety review, bringing Portugal in line with the EU average.
During that period, the number of reported fatalities in rural areas reduced from 832 to 228, representing an average (1) annual improvement of about 10%.
Motorways deliver benefits for individuals and societies as, in addition to saving lives by raising safety standards and reducing traffic volume on existing roads, they connect people to work and economic opportunities by shortening journey times and creating places for new businesses and services to spring up near those roads.
Toll roads can also deliver tax revenues directly to the State from their operations, and indirectly by helping stimulate economic growth and development in the regions and communities that they serve.
Head of ESG and Sustainability at Meridiam
“When you dig into the strategy, roads can have very far-reaching benefits in terms of economic advantages for countries and communities, as well as significantly improved safety and dramatically reduced accidents and fatalities. We also look to identify opportunities for reducing carbon footprint over the projects’ life.”
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