alt Hacker NewsI'm from Germany, and I have never once seen a road flare used on an actual road. Not sure if they're even legal in the EU (sounds like a bad idea to carry explosive or highly combustible stuff around in your car?), here in Germany all you as the driver have to do to secure an accident site is set up a reflective "warning triangle" at a specified distance and wear a safety vest when outside the car. I have seen plenty of pyros at football matches, although I'm not sure those are being sold as "road flares".
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I see them on roads all the time in Canada (Tow truck operators and law enforcement use them quite a lot). That being said, most vehicles on the road carry a large tank of highly combustible stuff which is a lot more volatile (e.g: Gasoline)
They're not typically used for passenger cars, but semi truck drivers and first responders use them since they're visible from farther away in both regular and low visibility situations like fog, rain, and at night.
They are mandatory on boats, even for smaller ones, and that's how you can get some in Europe.
How does your car move around _without_ containing explosive, highly combustible stuff?
You can however buy 'distress flares' in most of Europe, since many seagoing craft are recommended or indeed required to have the nasty, dangerous things.