Every year, more than 500 people die on Switzerland's roads (2003: 546) and nearly 6,000 are seriously injured (2003: 5,862). A quarter of those killed and injured are young people aged between 16 and 26. Road accidents are a source of incalculable grief in society and, for those concerned, often result in social difficulties, personal restrictions and material worries. In addition, road accidents cost around CHF 13 billion every year, taking a conservative estimate of the intangible damage suffered by the victims. Since the 1970s, Switzerland has made considerable progress in road safety. Compared with other European countries, Switzerland ranks among the leaders. However, since the beginning of the 1990s, the fall in the numberof accident victims has stagnated and a new impetus is now needed to bring about further progress. Since 2002, road safety policy has been an integral part of the Federal Council's sustainable development policy. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) was charged with the tasks of formulating a new federal road safety policy and preparing target-oriented measures. FEDRO carried out these tasks under the heading of the VESIPO project and now presents the corresponding action programme under the name Via Sicura. The principal objective of Via Sicura is to reduce the number of road deaths to under 300 by 2010 and the number of seriously injured to under 3,000. Thereafter, the number of those killed and seriously injured is to be reduced by at least 30% every ten years. The strategic approach for Via Secura's intervention in reducing accidents is based on the following main influencing factors: social awareness; road user behaviour; vehicle safety; the safety of the road infrastructure; and the performance and quality of the rescue services. The Via Sicura action programme consists of a total of 56 measures in ten different fields of action: awareness-raising and education; training and further training; regulations on conduct; control and sanction systems; motor vehicle; road infrastructure; quality assurance; researchand statistics; international cooperation; and organisation and resources. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Samenvatting