The European Union (EU) needs a road safety strategy, because of its excessive road accident casualties, the need to meet EU Treaty obligations, and already developed successful approaches to casualty reduction. The formulation of this strategy needs to be guided by the EU's scope for action within the principle of subsidiarity, and must extend to road users and infrastuctures as well as vehicles. It should be based on a comprehensive review of road safety and improvements of the safety of the traffic system as a whole. It would focus on: (1) preventing accidents by modifying road user behaviour in various ways; (2) reducing injury by improving vehicle design; and (3) reducing the consequences of injury by developing and implementing improved trauma care systems. Quantitative, time-dependent targets for casualty reduction need to be set, which are easy to understand and can be evaluated. An EU target should be set to reduce annual fatalities from 45,000 in 1995 to 25,000 by 2010. The main elements of an EU strategic road safety plan, to meet these targets, are: establishment of data systems, problem identification, measures to influence exposure, accident prevention, injury reduction, post-accident care, programme evaluation, and research. Many specific recommendations are made for early implementation by EU action.
Abstract