Road Safety in Europe Alexander von Campenhausen, DG TREN, Road Safety Unit

1. Road Safety in Europe Alexander von Campenhausen, DG TREN, Road Safety Unit

2. The European Road Safety Action Programme (2003-2010) • HALVING THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS BY 2010 • A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

3. Global progress: Lives saved since 2001 Not so bad, progress is faster, but still not enough

4. Progress by Country:contrasted results

5. Situation by Country 2005

6. Domains of EU actions

7. Domain of actions • Road Infrastructure safety • Tunnels – Directive applicable since May 2006– good progress in implementation • EU-Directive Road Safety Infrastructure Management – discussion ongoing in the Council • Vehicle safety: • EU-Directive on blind spot mirrors for existing trucks – possible adoption by the EP in first reading, in April 2007 • Daytime running lights: public consultation until 17/11/2006 • Data and “Road Safety Observatory” – two major challenges • Widen access to data base • Ensure economic viability over time • Enforcement • preparation of a directive on better enforcement • Driving licences • Road Safety Charter

8. Road Infrastructure safety Tunnel directive 2004/54/EC • The Directive has been transposed by the majority of the MS • In most MS, the minimum requirements will be applied also on tunnels beyond the scope of the Directive • To date only few assessments of compliance with the timetable for gradual application have been received

9. Road Infrastructure safety Infrastructure: Today’s main problems • Decreasing budgets for road infrastructures vs. more attention to the level of safety of roads • Inability of “old” roads to absorb the increasing traffic • “High risk road sections” (even on modern roads!) • Various levels of responsibility within each Member State (inefficient organisation) • Heterogeneous signs, signals, road markings, road side features (even in a single Country!)

10. Road Infrastructure safetyManagement: Objectives • To ensure that safety is integrated in all phases of planning, design and operation of road infrastructure • To bring about a common high level of safety of roads in all EU Member States • To use the limited funds for more efficient construction and maintenance of roads

11. Road Infrastructure safety A coherent package of measures • Regulatory actions necessary on: • Safety Impact Assessment (new roads - pre-design phase) • Safety Audits (new roads - design, construction & early operational phases) • Network Safety Management - management of “High-risk road sections”(existing roads) • Safety Inspections (existing roads) • Package of measures recommended by the High Level Group on Road Safety

12. Road infrastructure safety management Remedial measures Protected light columns

13. Road infrastructure safety management Remedial measures Safe and effective safety barriers transition

14. Road infrastructure safety management Remedial measures Safety zone before unprotected rock

15. Infrastructure Safety?

16. Infrastructure Safety?

17. Vehicle safetyDirectives adopted • Front protection of vulnerable users • Generalisation of the use of seat belts (incl. in coaches) & of child restraint systems • ’’blind spot’’ mirror (new trucks) [✓]’’CARS 21’’ - dialog with the automotive industry (a ‘road map’, no directives) And then …

18. Vehicle safetyBlind spot mirror • Lack of rear vision → 400+ fatalities / year • Directive adopted in 2003 • in force as of 2006 (new models) / 2007 (new vehicles) • no ’’full effect’’ before ≈2022 (no provision for existing trucks)  Another proposal for retrofitting of existing N2 & N3 trucks (i.e. 3.5+ tons, registered since 1998) • Expected lives saved (cumulative 2008-2020): 1200 • Cost per truck ≈ 150€ Cost benefit ratio: 1 / 3.5 Legislative proposal now in discussion

19. Vehicle safetyBlind spot mirror: improving the driver‘s rear vision Direct eye sight Class IV new Class IV old Class V new Class II Class V old Truck x Drivers eyes Additional vision

20. ’’Blind spot mirror’’

21. Vehicle safetyDaytime Running Lights (DRL) (Detailed impact study published on the web) • Use of DRL now mandatory in 14 EU Member States – with different requirements • General use of DRL could save 1200 to 2000 fatalities / year in the EU • Impact on fuel consumption & CO 2 emissions: +1.5% (dipped head lamps) +0.3% (dedicated DRL) • Strong opposition of some groups against binding EU measures

22. Vehicle safetyVehicle equipment: is it worth issuing a legislation on electronic stability control? A European awareness campaign on the use of electronic devices starting in 2007

23. DataCARE: the EU road accident data base What is CARE? • CARE is the compilation of national accident data provided by EU Member States • A well established routine with ’’EU15’’ since 1991 • Many reports published on the ’’Europa / DG TREN / road safety’’ web site Development in progress: • Extend CARE to the “new” Member States + NO & CH • Estimate underreporting and non-fatal totals

24. Road Safety ObservatoryStorage of information and analyses: www.erso.eu

25. Road Safety ObservatoryFurther steps Objective • Better integration of indicators • More detailed analysis • Better knowledge of accident causation, circumstances and consequences Outcome • Better understanding of problems • Better quantification of solutions • More rationale policy design and improved decision-making process Method • Completing the available set of indicators wherever necessary • A full scale EU granted pilot project before a fair routine is established

26. BehaviourProfessional driving: Directives adopted • Initial and periodic training of truck & coach drivers • Digital tachograph • Working / resting time

27. BehaviourBetter Enforcement • To enforce non residents : EU wide system for carrying out cross border enforcement • To improve quality of enforcement actions in Member States • To combine enforcement actions with public information • Follow-up of offences (detection to payment) • Public consultation completed on 19 January 2007

28. BehaviourBetter Enforcement Priorities : • speeding, • drink driving, • non wearing of seat belts Step 1: Commission recommendation (2003) Step 2: Directive, incl. cross border enforcement (in preparation)

29. Behaviour Driving Licence (3rd Directive) Legislation adopted on 20 December 2006, in force by 2012 The most visible part of it: From 110 models… … to a single model

30. BehaviourDriving Licence: what’s new? • Anti fraud measures : credit card size, administrative validity 10 years only (up to 15 years possible), one licence only for each driver, optional microchip • Harmonization of the periodicity of medical checks for professional drivers (5 years) • Minimum requirements for the training of examinators • Better harmonization of categories

31. BehaviourDriving licence Network • Different designs possible (centralized, decentralized, hybrid) • Evaluation of EUCARIS II System to start • Legal basis now adopted (Art. 15 of 3rd DL-directive) • Mutual Assistance • Member States shall assist one another in the implementation of this Directive and shall exchange information on the licences they have issued, exchanged, replaced, renewed or revoked. They shall use the EU driving licence network set up for these purposes, once this network is operational.

32. CharterThe European Road Safety Charter

33. Extension of the concept of “shared responsibility” into the civil society • the signatories sign an engagement for a concrete and measurable engagement in their area of influence • The European Commission stimulates the process and publishes the engagements • Logo • Price • Presentations • Report and ‘newsletters’

34. WEBSITE: • http://ec.europa.eu/transport/roadsafety/index_en.htm Thank you for your attention !!