The Netherlands was the first country to formulate quantitative targets for road safety. In 1987 the first Long-Range Plan for Road Safety MPV was published. The target formulated in this for the year 2000 was 25 per cent fewer road accident victims compared with 1985. The Second Transport Structure Plan SVV subsequently narrowed the target for 2010, to 50 per cent fewer road deaths and 40 per cent fewer injuries compared with 1986. In order to realize these ambitious targets, the policy chosen at that time had two lines: firstly, the approach to the spearheads of alcohol, speed and protective devices in cars; and secondly, the more preventive approach of sustainable safety road infrastructure. The current National Transport Plan NVVP of 2001 maintains these objectives. This is ambitious, because mobility has increased more than was expected ten years ago. Retaining the absolute target thus represents a higher ambition in practice, especially because the law of diminishing returns is in operation, so more complex and more expensive measures will have to be taken. The present targets for 2010, with 1998 as the base year, are: (1) fewer road deaths, decreasing to 750 per year; (2) fewer hospital admissions due to road accidents, decreasing to 14,000 per year; and (3) fewer road deaths on railway crossings, decreasing to 25 per year. In comparison with the new reference year 1998, these targets for 2010 mean that the number of road deaths must be reduced by over 300, and the number of hospital admissions by 4,600. These national targets will also be translated into regional targets. The SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research has calculated the cost-effectiveness for many of the measures proposed as an approach in the National Transport Plan NVVP. The results of these calculations provided grounds for announcing the expectation that there is a good chance of the 2010 target for road deaths being attained, provided that the increase in mobility remains moderate. The target for hospital admissions will be more difficult to attain. The following approaches are presented: (1) sustainable safety transport system; (2) co-operation on road safety; (3) influencing behaviour; (4) road infrastructure; (5) vehicles and technology; (6) stimulation from the national government; (7) European co-operation; and (8) effects of the Dutch policy. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD no 207828. The reprints are also available at the web - http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart1.pdf; http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart2.pdf and http://www.vti.se/pdf/reports/K18APart3.pdf.
Abstract