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This week's Yardstick takes another look at the Department for Transport's transport statistics for 2007 this time we're focusing on international haulage. Data included in the report includes national population figures and CV parc, and while the footnotes warns that not all data between countries is directly comparable, it still paints a fascinating picture of European road transport. Compared with some of our EU counterparts the UK road network is small. France has 951,000km of road, followed  by Italy with 669,000km and Germany with 644,000km. The UK has 413,000km followed by Poland with 378,000km, reminding us that the East End of the EU includes some huge markets as well as some tough competitors.

The EU has yet to establish a single measure of CV fleets but we do learn that the UK has 3.5 million goods vehicles. One statistic that is EU-wide is the freight moved by mode - although the latest figures for this date from 2005. Germany topped the leader board for freight transported by road with 310.1 billion-tonne-kilometres (bn-t-km), followed by Spain with 233.2bn-t-km, Italy with 211.8 and France with 205.3.

The UK is well behind with 167.9, followed by Poland with 111.8. The Czech Republic was the second busiest of the new EU states, having moved 43.4bn-t-km. The order changes somewhat when it comes to rail freight. Germany is still top with 89.7bn-t-km, but Poland comes next with 43.8 followed by France with 40.7 and, again a considerable way behind, the  UK with 22.1. The data also includes a section on each county's carbon dioxide emissions from transport. Not surprisingly, with Germany fielding the biggest fleet, it also produces the highest CO2 emissions at 152.2 million tonnes followed by France with 130.4.

The UK is firmly in third place producing 120.1, with Italy being the only other country to pass the 100 million tonne mark at 117. Poland records the highest figures of the new EU states at 34.2 million tonnes - but it should be noted that CO2 emissions data from transport is based on data compiled by the European Environment Agency from submissions by the member states themselves. Finally, those of you thinking the German autobahns are unsafe - think again. One of the tables covers road deaths in 2005 per 100,000 population. The least safe place to drive is Lithuania with 22.2, followed by Latvia with 19.2. Belgium has a relatively high number 10.4 compared with the likes of Germany (6.5) and the UK (5.5).