ATHENS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Greece marked the European Day without a Road Death on Wednesday presenting encouraging data on the road accidents on Greek roads in recent years.

The number of people who have lost their lives in road accidents has been reduced from 2,103 in 2000 to 730 last year and 288 in the first half of this year, Vassilis Chalkias, President of the European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures (ASECAP) told a forum in Athens on the occasion of the day launched to raise awareness of road safety.

The trend is positive also on European level. In the period 2001-2016 the percentage of deaths in roads across the EU has been reduced by 64 percent, according to ASECAP.

Across the EU each year on average still 26,000 people lose their lives in road accidents and 1.7 million are injured, including 350,000 seriously, while globally the numbers stand at 1.3 million people and 50 million respectively, according to ASECAP.

Although statistics were encouraging more needs to be done to increase road safety, organizers said.

According to Greek police, 33 percent of road accidents in Greece is linked to speeding, 25 percent to consumption of alcohol and 42 percent to various factors.