Teamwork for Greater Road Safety
Road Safety Exchange – this is the name of a new EU initiative for greater road safety that brings together twelve EU countries so that they may learn from each other and share their expertise. The background to this is that although Europe’s roads are already among the safest in the world and much progress has been made in recent decades, there are still too many traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the EU. In 2018, more than 25,000 people died as a result of traffic accidents. This is 21 percent less than in 2010, but only 1 percent less than in 2017.
Because not all EU member states are at the same level in terms of road safety, the three-year initiative is mainly aimed at the sharing of experience between transport experts from Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden. It is led by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), which has been working with transport experts throughout the EU for many years.
Commenting on the initiative, ETSC Executive Director Antonio Avenoso said, “How does road safety work? Experts will be discussing this and then implementing the successful models in their own countries. We are looking forward to strengthening the teamwork and can barely wait to see some tangible results.” Speed limits, safe infrastructure, more effective enforcement of traffic rules, data collection, and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in cities are just some of the areas in which the traffic experts from the twelve participating countries are looking to gain insights.
“Vision Zero – i.e. zero fatalities and serious injuries on our roads by 2050 – can only be achieved by working together in partnerships and by sharing experience,” said Violeta Bulc, EU Commissioner for Transport. The initiative benefits from strong political support and brings experts together in a long-term exchange of experience.