Data from the International Road Traffic Accident Database shows that between 2010 and 2012, the number of riders killed in Europe decreased from 5,275 in 2010 to 4,566 in 2012, a reduction of 13.4%. An analysis by segments shows that deaths of motorcyclists went down by 11.3%, whilst the number of moped riders that suffered fatal accidents went down by almost 27.9%. All this takes place parallel to the substantial growth of PTW use across Europe (25.2% between 2001 and 2012). The motorcycle industry has played a key role in this. Continuous improvement in safety features, including advanced motorcycle design, new intelligent features and new braking, lighting and suspension systems have been instrumental to increase motorcycling safety. Different road safety and training campaigns, often led by the motorcycle industry, have also made significant safety contributions. Currently ACEM members are working to improve road safety by deploying Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) on PTWs in Europe. As part of this process, in March 2014 ACEM members adopted a Memorandum of Understanding on ITS. By signing this Memorandum, the motorcycle industry agreed to initiate the deployment of safety-relevant cooperative ITS on PTWs in Europe and committed to have at least one of their models available for sale with a cooperative ITS, either as standard equipment or as optional equipment, by 2020. Furthermore ACEM is currently conducting research on an embedded eCall system for motorcycles. The minimum technical requirements needed for such a system have already been defined and research activities are ongoing in order to address the unsolved technical challenges. Another key factor to improve safety records for PTWs is training. It is vital that riders receive the appropriate training so that they can ride confidently and safely. In order to help PTW users make informed decisions about their training, ACEM and the German Road Safety Council have joined forces to start promoting high quality post license training schemes across the EU through DVR’s Quality Seal. Moreover, other similar quality labels are currently being developed in the EU. Along with the DVR Quality Seal, these schemes could also help to increase the visibility of the best training programmes available and pave the way towards more uniform quality standards for training in Europe. Over the last decade substantial progress has been made in terms of reducing the number of fatal accidents involving riders. However, there is still room for improvement. The motorcycle industry has taken up the challenge to make a positive difference for motorcyclists across the EU. For this reason, ACEM will organise, in close cooperation with industry associations and other key stakeholders, a series of thematic workshops. Its objective will be to gain a better understanding of what actions can be taken at local, regional and national level in order to improve safety outcomes for PTW riders. Some of the topics to be covered by the workshops will include: mainstreaming of PTW needs into national transport strategies, prevention of safety failures through periodical technical inspections, fight against illegal tampering and implications of design and maintenance of road infrastructure on road safety. (Author/publisher)
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