The publication of the European transport policy for 2010: Time to decide (2001), European Road Safety Action Programme (2003) and the European Union’s casualty reduction target (a 50 % fatality reduction by 2010) have brought the problems of Europe’s road safety into a sharper focus. The largest debate was about the achievability of the European Commission’s proposed target and ways of doing it. The European Commission believes the target can be achieved, but to do that Member States need to make specific commitments, better co-ordinate national, regional and local schemes across the European Union, disseminate best practices and new intelligent transport systems and sophisticated passenger restraint systems. Meeting these conditions is not an easy task. The European Commission’s experience shows how reluctant Members States are to take up joint action at the European Union level. A good illustration is how the European Union struggled to introduce a single blood alcohol limit (0.5 g/l) and digital tachographs in lorries or safer car fronts. In an effort to understand the reasons for the failed projects, the European Commission points to the fact that some countries use the subsidiarity principle to justify why they will not agree to follow uniform road safety schemes. While it is not the intention of the paper to question this statement, the study did look into the issue of social support for a single European road safety policy. (Author/publisher)
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