The road safety performance of different countries within Europe varies substantially. The three countries with the lowest accident levels are Sweden, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands (described here as the SUN countries). The aim of this study is to determine the underlying elements in the current policies and programmes of the SUN countries, which make them particularly effective in coping with the traffic safety problem, and thereby identify policy improvements most likely to produce casualty reductions in both SUN countries and other (European) countries. Main conclusions with respect to differences between the SUN countries are: The total risks (i.e. death rates) of the SUN countries are the lowest in the world and similar, although just significantly lower in Britain (7.28 fatalities per billion motor vehicle kilometres, versus 8.44 and 8.48 in Sweden and the Netherlands); Traffic growth during 1980-2000 was largest in Britain and lowest in Sweden, and traffic densities on main roads in 2000 are also highest in Britain and lowest in Sweden. However, the motorway length per capita, area, and per number of motor vehicles is shortest in Britain and largest in Sweden; British risks are highest for pedestrians and for motorcyclists, but lowest for car occupants, compared to the other countries; Car occupant risk is highest in Sweden; Dutch mopedists have almost twice the risk of mopedists in the other countries, and drive many more kilometres. Dutch cyclist risk is lowest, but is still higher than car risk even when the risk that cars inflict on other road users is included, and Dutch citizens cycle by far the most; Sweden has 14% driver fatalities over 0.1% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in 2000 versus an estimated 17% in the Netherlands and a reported 20% in Britain; Levels of child restraint use and seat belt use in front and back seats are high, but lowest in the Netherlands; The risk on motorways is almost five times lower than on other roads. This risk differs slightly in the three countries (2.0 per billion vehicle kilometres in Britain versus 2.3 in the Netherlands and 2.5 in Sweden); and the risk on Dutch roads other than motorways is about a third higher than the risk on these roads in the other countries.
Abstract