Samenvatting
This lecture on transport safety is given by the Secretary General of the European Conference of Ministers for Transport (ECMT). Statistics are given on the number of deaths as a result of a road accident in the 19 Full Members of ECMT. The number of fatalities per million inhabitants was lowest in the UK, Norway and Netherlands. The lecturer rejects the argument that the problem of tackling the lack of safety on the roads is that measures interfere with the freedom of mobility. He questions why an accident in the air or on the railways is news whilst road accidents have ceased to be newsworthy. He calls for changes in human behaviour and improved law enforcement. The role of politics in promoting and improving road safety is discussed.