Halving the Number of Deaths on Europes Roads: A Shared Responsibility

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Halving the Number of Deaths on Europes RoadsA
Shared Responsibility

• Dimitrios Theologitis
• European Commission Road Safety Unit
• dimitrios.theologitis_at_cec.eu.int

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EUR-15, 1970-2000
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However

• Curve flattening out
• Social need for mobility vs safety
• Traffic tripled 1970-2000 and will continue to
  rise
• Some 40 000 persons killed 1.7 million injured
  / year (EUR-15) 52000 fatalities in EUR-25
• 160 billion / year cost to society (EUR-15)
• A shared responsibility (road user /private
  sector / region / member state / EU)
• Community added value if action taken at EU level

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(After environment, where significant progress
has already been accomplished)Road Safety is
the major societal issue for this decade
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The European Road Safety Action Plan

• The problem
• Objective
• EU-Instruments
• Actions in all domains
• The Road Safety Observatory
• The Road Safety Charter

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The EU 50 reduction target

• A political commitment
• No burden sharing amongst Member States
• Each Member State should strive to perform at
  least as well as the best-performing ones
• No contradiction between Vision Zero and
  Objective 50
• Monitoring
• Road safety performance indicators
• Reporting

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The EU instruments

• Legislation (only when necessary)
• Best practice guidelines
• Technical guidelines accepted by experts drafted
  by professionals for the use of professionals
• Research and development
• Studies
• Framework programme research
• Financial support
• Road accident data and information

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Domains of action

• User behaviour
• Enforcement
• Campaigns
• Driving licences
• Vehicle safety
• Technical inspection
• Passive and active safety
• Infrastructure safety
• Professional transport
• Accidentology

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Road safety enforcement

• Proposal for generic enforcement in the field of
  road safety
• Speeding, drunk driving, seatbelt wearing
• Proposal for controls on working and resting
  times or professional drivers
• Best practice guideline for police checks
• Awareness campaigns
• EuroBOB, vulnerable road users
• Upcoming seatbelt wearing campaign

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Driving licences

• 3rd Driving licence directive under consideration
• Anti-fraud measures
• Further harmonisation of categories
• Progressive access for motorcycles
• Requirements for driving examiners
• Work on fitness to drive
• Annex III eyesight, diabetes, epilepsy
• Driving licence information system
• RESPER, a project in the context of IDA
  (Interchange of Data between Administrations)

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Technical inspection

• First cycle of legislation completed
• Study to examine the way forward
• Incremental modifications, for example
• Frequency of inspection with age of vehicle
• Inspection after accident
• Motorcycle inspection
• Inspection of electronic systems
• Alternative ways of quality
• In particular for commercial transport
• Accession to the UN/ECE 1997 Agreement

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Passive vehicle safety

• Continuing support for EuroNCAP
• And strengthening of the relevant type approval
  directives
• Crash compatibility research between vehicles of
  different types
• Pedestrian-friendly car fronts
• Incite the automobile industry to introduce
  seatbelt reminders

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Active vehicle safety

• Information and communication systems for
  intelligent vehicles, the e-Safety initiative
• Public-private partnership involving the
  automobile, communications and other sectors
• Regulatory action or self-commitment necessary
  for systems with weak business case
• Daytime running lights
• Intelligent speed management
• Impairment detection devices
• Accident data recorders
• Electronic vehicle identification

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Galileo

• Europes new satellite positioning system
• Offers increased accuracy and
• Guaranteed level of service
• A host of new possibilities by accurate
  positioning
• Will enable active safety systems to take
  collision avoidance action
• Accurate positioning essential for e-Call

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Safety of road infrastructure

• Regulatory action necessary on
• Management of high-accident risk road stretches
  (black spots)
• Road safety audits
• Road safety impact assessment
• Road inspection
• Best practice guidelines on above issues
• Tunnel safety
• Proposal accepted in principle by all Member
  States
• Support for the EuroRAP project

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Professional driving and commercial transport

• Directive on training of professional drivers
  published
• Discussion on working and resting times proposal
  continues
• Introduction of digital tachograph
• Best practice guideline on securing of loads on
  trucks
• Upcoming study on impact on safety of light vans
  and company vehicles

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The EU Road Safety Observatory

• Mission
• Collect, analyse and disseminate road safety
  data and knowledge
• A light form of a road safety agency
• Internal Commission structure

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Observatory Components

• Accident circumstances
• The present CARE road accident database
• Accident causes
• Framework for independent accident investigation
• Accident consequences
• The present PENDANT research project
• Risk exposure data
• Road safety performance indicators
• Knowledge
• Results of research and studies

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The Road Safety Charter

• The extension of the shared responsibility
  concept to civil society
• Signatories commit themselves to concrete and
  measurable actions
• Commission creates awareness and makes
  commitments public
• Logo
• Awards
• Presentations
• Reports and newsletters

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In conclusion, the Plan

• Covers (nearly) all domains of action
• As there is no miracle solution, efforts have to
  be made on all fronts
• Shared responsibility involves all layers
• Road user, industry, local and regional
  administrations, Member states, EU
• Proposes short, medium and long term measures
• From enforcement
• To infrastructure measures

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Websites

• Commission transport websitehttp//europa.eu.int/
  comm/transport/index_en.html
• Road transport sectionhttp//europa.eu.int/comm/t
  ransport/road/index_en.htm
• CARE databasehttp//europa.eu.int/comm/transport/
  home/care/index_en.htm
• Driving licenceshttp//europa.eu.int/comm/transpo
  rt/home/drivinglicence/index_en.htm