Clear Requirements for Politics and Industry to Ensure Greater Road Safety

22 May 2018 News & Campaigns
What do politicians and industry need to do to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads? The answer can be found in the German Road Safety Council’s (DVR) top ten requirements, which focus on aspects that would be particularly effective in reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries. “We hope that both politics and industry will make our top ten requirements a basis for their work and implement them,” says DVR President Dr. Walter Eichendorf.
Although the requirements focus on Germany, countless measures could be transferred to many other countries almost exactly. “In view of a death toll of around 1.25 million people each year, road safety is a global challenge,” explains Clemens Klinke, member of the DEKRA SE Management Board and in charge of the Automotive business unit as well as Vice President of the DVR. Therefore, everyone involved must pull together to counter the problem efficiently and make a lasting difference, he added. Here are the requirements in detail:
1: Enhance traffic monitoring in a targeted manner.
• Increase the financial and human resources of the police force and relevant state surveillance authorities accordingly and improve training and further education.
• Bolster the prevention and prosecution of traffic violations through better cooperation between the authorities.
• Carry out a section control pilot scheme.
2: Change the speed limits.
• Reduce the speed limit on rural highways with a lane width up to and including six meters to 80 km/h.
• On rural highways, ban overtaking in areas with limited visibility of the road ahead.
• Pilot scheme for reversing the urban control speed from 50 to 30 km/h.
3: Prevent collisions with trees.
• Keep the sides of rural highways free of obstacles.
• If there are already trees in the critical area, reinforce the use of passive protective equipment.
• Reduce the maximum permissible speed on tree-lined highways and monitor compliance efficiently.
4: Increase safety for motorcyclists.
• Fully implement the information sheet on improving the road infrastructure for motorcyclists (MVMot 2018) in all states.
• Improve the visibility of motorcyclists.
5: Increase safety by improving the infrastructure.
• Consistently apply proven infrastructure measures.
• Ensure that road safety inspections, accident commissions, inventory audits and safety audits are used.
• Increase safety at intersections, junctions and roundabouts.
6: Promote driver assistance systems, automation and networking.
• Consistently support and implement the equipping of vehicles with safety-relevant driver assistance systems.
• Use the proven safety potential of automated driving functions and networked driving.
7: Increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Improve the infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Increase the visibility of pedestrians and cyclists.
• Encourage cyclists and pedelec riders to wear a helmet.
• Develop and stipulate cornering assist systems.
• Publicize the “Dutch reach.”
8: Prevent driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
• Enforce an alcohol ban at the wheel.
• Introduce an alcohol interlock program.
• For cyclists, introduce an administrative offense from a blood alcohol concentration of 1.1 per mille (0.11%).
9: Improve the qualification of novice drivers.
• Promote accompanied driving.
• Introduce an obligatory extension to the learning time of novice drivers.
• Develop a driving education curriculum and make it compulsory.
10: Reduce dangers caused by distraction.
• Change behavior with regard to information and communication systems, such as smartphones.
• Exploit the technical possibilities to minimize the risk of distraction.