In a co-production of DaCoTA WP1 and DaCoTA WP4, an Experts Panel was created and a consultation was launched for the preliminary assessment of knowledge, data and analysis needs within road safety management. The objective of the consultation of this Experts Panel was the assessment of current needs for evidence-based road safety decision making in the European countries, to be used also by other DaCoTA activities. In particular, it was intended to identify specific needs for knowledge, data and tools, which will be taken into account for the development of a data warehouse (DaCoTA WP3) and for the creation of useful and relevant road safety decision support tools (DaCoTA WP4). Moreover, this preliminary consultation of the Experts Panel serves as a first step towards the full assessment of current practices and future needs of knowledge-based road safety management, which will be carried out later on by means of a broader consultation of stakeholders (DaCoTA WP1). The members of the Experts Panel included members of the CARE National Experts group of the European Commission, as well as persons within the national road safety administration or scientific community of each country suggested by the National Experts. The Panel was complemented with additional persons suggested by the DaCoTA partners. The Panel eventually covers 20 EU Member States and 3 other European countries with different histories and experiences of RS management. The Experts have in-depth knowledge of road safety management processes and needs in their country, being either directly involved in decision making, or working closely with decision makers as advisors. Two parallel consultation methods were implemented; the first concerned semi-directive interviews carried out by members of the DaCoTA WP1 partners with members of the Panel mainly from their own countries, and the second concerned a request for written contributions in case of language or time constraints. Particular emphasis was given to the open nature of the questions, both within the interviews and the written contributions, allowing the experts to describe their own experiences, views and messages and to put emphasis on the issues they consider themselves important, without being "directed" by a detailed questionnaire to specific judgments. The consultation provided a wealth of information on all aspects of road safety management in the European countries. A synthesis of the results of this open consultation was carried out by means of a predefined matrix. In this matrix, the basic road safety management tasks were decomposed into their particular components, and were then cross-tabulated with distinct categories of needs (knowledge needs, data needs, methodological needs, tools needs etc.), allowing the linking of specific aspects of road safety policy making to specific benefits from using the necessary knowledge, data, methods and tools. The matrix allowed for a classification of the opinions provided by the experts in the written contributions as well as in the interviews. Overall, the consultation of the Experts Panel provided valuable information about the current practices and future needs and priorities for evidence-based road safety management in Europe. It was stressed that only through the establishment of appropriate structures and procedures can evidence-based road safety management be achieved. Specific recommendations on such structures and procedures include the institutional arrangements for road safety management to be carried out centrally (at national level) by a single dedicated organization, the establishment of links and processes for smooth and efficient interaction between national and local road safety policies, and the introduction of compulsory consideration of scientific evidence for each road safety decision. Several useful remarks and recommendations on the various road safety management tasks, from fact-finding and assessment of problems to the development of road safety strategies and programmes, and from the planning and implementation of these programmes to the monitoring and evaluation of their effectiveness, were also derived from this preliminary consultation. First of all, the need for setting ambitious yet realistic targets for the improvement of road safety was confirmed. As regards the development of road safety programmes and the selection of measures, a need for methodological advances was identified, including the improvement of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses, so that they can serve both for setting priorities and for assessing the combined effects of road safety measures. Moreover, the creation of handbooks and databases with accumulated international experience on these questions was proposed, with emphasis on the country-specific conditions necessary to take into account in order to reach the maximum benefit of each measure. With respect to the planning and implementation of road safety programmes and measures, the need to gather and harmonise the available information from the international experience of measures implementation was frequently expressed. In particular, the information and data on the procedures, the conditions, the time frame and the costs for implementing the measures need to be made available at European level. Furthermore, the monitoring and evaluation task is considered to be most essential, not only for assessing the effectiveness of road safety measures, but also for identifying needs for further improvement. Several methodological needs were also mentioned, including the need for standardized assessment tools (statistical models, analysis techniques etc.), that will allow for the identification of the reasons and mechanisms leading to the observed safety effect of the measures. Finally, a number of issues concerning the availability and quality of data for knowledge-based road safety management were outlined. They include the need to address the injury under-reporting problem at European level, the need for improved methods for determining accident locations by means of GIS technologies and tools, the need for improved exposure data, for increasingly reliable behavioural data and the need to promote the collection and use of in-depth accident investigation data. The Experts also stressed the need for road safety databases of different types (accident data, health data, exposure data etc.) to be linked and to be made more accessible. The synthesis of the results of the consultation may serve as a first overview of experiences with road safety management in the European countries. Furthermore, it may serve as an outline of expert opinions on the needs and priorities for knowledge, data and tools to support road safety management, as well as on the related needs for better processes and structures, allowing the integration of knowledge and decision support tools into policy making. It is noted that such a consultation was launched for the first time at European level. The main directions and priorities identified for knowledge-based road safety management are presented in detail in the present report. These can be useful not only for the collection (WP3) and analysis (WP4) of data and information intended to support road safety decision making, but they can also be used as a broader guide towards the improvement of road safety management processes and practices both by individual countries and at European Union level (WP1). Finally, the information gathered in this consultation is also relevant for further developments of the ERSO, given the many suggestions made concerning the type of information and tools that should be made available at a European level. (Author/publisher)
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