Transport crashes in the EU killed about 39,200 EU citizens in 2001, cause over 3.3 million casualties and presently cost over 180 billion Euros (estimate taken from ETSC (1997) and corrected for inflation and improved safety), around twice the total EU budget for all activity. Road crashes in the EU each year lead to 97% of all transport deaths and to more than 93% of all transport crash costs and are the leading cause of death and hospital admission for citizens under 50 years. Road crashes cost more than congestion, pollution, cancer and heart disease and result in a five times higher death rate in the worst than the best performing Member States. As part of the current programme of activity which receives matched funding from the European Commission, the European Transport Safety Council has brought together independent experts from across the EU to update the analyses of the risk of death on travel modes within the EU that were presented in the1999 ETSC Report on “Exposure data for travel risk assessment”. This Report discusses the risk trends up to 2000/2001 or 2001/2002 and considers what they mean for EU citizens and policy makers. Section 2 looks at passenger transport risks in the EU and updates the figures of road, rail, air and ferry passenger risks within the EU for 2000/2001 or 2001/2002. Risk comparisons of intermodal trips and comparisons between the risks of transport and other activities are also summarised. Section 3 analyses fatality risks in road transport. This section includes predictions of road traffic fatalities in the EU and its ten accession countries for 2010 and an analysis of the number of deaths among users of motorised two-wheelers in the EU countries. The feasibility of achieving the EU target of 50% road fatality reduction in 2010 is assessed. Section 4 considers railway safety in the EU. Passenger safety in air transport within the EU is covered in Section 5 whereas Section 6 deals with passenger risk by sea transport in EU waters. Finally, recommendations are made for appropriate national and EU actions in the short to medium term. (Author/publisher) See also C 15756 (ITRD E102645).
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