This year’s European Transport Safety Lecture focuses on the most important facts and figures related to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in urban areas. Between 2001 and 2009, some 107,700 pedestrians and cyclists were killed on EU roads, 9,250 of them in 2009. Within this 9-year period, deaths among this category of road users have been decreasing at a lower rate than for vehicle occupants, respectively 34% compared with 41%. The European Commission, in the 7th objective of its Road Safety Policy Orientations 2011-2020, acknowledged vulnerable road users as a group of road users deserving special attention, but has yet to propose specific actions to improve their safety on the roads. The safety of vulnerable road users should receive special attention from policy makers at the national and European levels and new measures targeted at improving the safety of vulnerable road users will be crucial in reaching the new EU 2020 Road Safety Target. The 14th European Transport Safety Lecture will be an opportunity to discuss and raise awareness on the need to take action to improve the safety of this category of road users. (Author/publisher)
Abstract