Road Safety in the EU: a success story?

1. Road Safety in the EU:
a success story?
London, 12 December 2016
Antonio Avenoso, ETSC Director

2. THIS PRESENTATION
• ETSC
• Setting targets works
• Key common EU measures
• Slow progress in 2014-2015
• A lot more can and should be done

3. European Transport Safety Council
A science based approach to road safety
 Secretariat in Brussels
 58 member organisations from across Europe
 More than 200 experts contributing to ETSC’s
work
 The European Commission, Member
Organisations, Member States and corporate
sponsors are funding our work

4. ETSC Network

5. THE IMPACT OF THE EU 2010 TARGET
ETSC (2011), 5th Road Safety PIN Report
• 100,000 fewer road deaths since 2001 than if the
2001 numbers had continued
• Steeper progress in 2001-2010 than in previous
decades
• Estimated value of deaths prevented €176 billion

6. HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?
• More enforcement and stricter traffic
laws
• Vehicle safety improvement
• Infrastructure safety improvement
• Better Road Safety Management
EU and national targets
Vision Zero
Road safety plans…
Political will

7. Road safety management

8. 8
• 14 July 2002: Statement by President Chirac on the Bastille Day:
Road safety will be the first of the top 3 priorities of his 2nd mandate
• February 2003: Setting up of a dedicated « Interministerial mission »
• June 2003: Adoption of the « Law against road violence »
Change from driver to owner liability
• End of 2003: installation of the 1st 100 safety cameras
(70 fixed + 30 mobile)
• End of 2005: 1000 safety cameras in place in total
• Full automatisation through a National Processing Center
France: speed enforcement

9. Systematic approach
- the example of speed management
in more and more areas in the UK, the Netherlands,
France, Spain…
+

10. THIS PRESENTATION
ETSC
Setting targets works
• Key common EU measures
• Slow progress in 2014-2015
• A lot more can and should be done

11. Across the EU
• All seats should have seat belts
• Mandatory use of seat belt on all seats on all
vehicles equipped with seat belts
• Mandatory helmet use on all motorcycles
• Max 50km/h in cities
• Infrastructure Safety Directive mandates regular
inspections on existing TEN-T roads and audits on
new TEN-T roads.
• Cross border enforcement Directive

12. BAC limits across the EU
• An increasing number of countries are lowering their
BAC limits to be in line with EU recommendation 2001 on
maximum BAC legal limit
• 18 EU countries apply lower BAC for novice drivers (0.0
– 0.2)
• 18 EU countries apply lower BAC for professional drivers
(0.0 to 0.2 BAC)

13. KEY VEHICLE MEASURES MANDATORY
IN THE EU
All vehicles
• ISOFIX anchoring system (since 2012 for new
types / 2014 for new vehicles)
• Seat belt reminders on driver’s seat (2012 / 2014)
• Electronic Stability Control (2011 / 2014)
Cars and vans
• eCall (2018)

14. KEY VEHICLE MEASURES MANDATORY
IN THE EU
Buses and trucks
• Advanced Emergency Braking (2013 / 2015)
• Lane Departure warning (2013/ 2014)

15. THIS PRESENTATION
ETSC
Setting targets works
Key common measures
• Slow progress in 2014 -2015
• A lot more can and should be done

16. 2014-2015: BAD YEARS FOR ROAD SAFETY
• EU target: to reduce road deaths by 50%
between 2010 and 2020
• A 6.7% reduction per year on average is
needed to be on track
• 2014 : only 0.6% reduction compared to
2013, worst annual reduction since 2010
• 2015: 1% increase in road deaths compared
to 2014, worst annual result since 2001

17. 26,226Recorded killed as a consequence
of road collisions EU 28 2015

18. 500
deaths
every week

19. 26,226Recorded killed as a consequence of road collisions EU 28 2015
seriously injured in road traffic in the EU in 2014
according to MAIS3+ definition
*European Commission estimate
135,000*

20. THIS PRESENTATION
ETSC
Setting targets works
Slow progress in 2014
• A lot more can and should be done

21. - EU Road Safety Strategy: Objective on
Serious Injury
- EU common Definition on Serious Injury is
adopted
- Commission publishes for the first time an
estimation of 135,000 people seriously
injured in 2014
Next: the EU should adopt a target
2010
2013
2015
SERIOUS INJURY

22. SUMMING UP
• Challenge to meet the 2020 50%
target.
• Need to reinforce the efforts on
tackling the main killers, via Police
enforcement, infrastructure
improvements and vehicle safety.
• Start implementing injury reduction
strategies, involving the health
sector.

23. www.etsc.eu
@etsc_eu
antonio.avenoso@etsc.eu