The project ASTERYX aims at Assessing The European Road SafetY Problem – by way of an eXploitation study of the CARE Database (Community Database on Accidents on Roads in Europe). A consortium of four European road safety research institutes carried out– for the first time – detailed Trans-European accident research using the CARE database of the European Commission (DG TREN). The project considers the following issues: * Analyse capabilities and limitations of CARE and its overall potential added value for the road safety research community; * Evaluate user guidance and handling of CARE-II, i.e. the version of the CARE database currently in operation (aspects of user interface, help functions and glossaries); * Highlight possible flaws by misinterpreting or misuse of data, especially when comparing data from different Member States and give recommendations for further development of CARE-II; * Give hands-on advice and examples in the use of CARE; and * Detect some Member States’ specific characteristics in accident patterns, using the list of variables made available in the EU project CARE PLUS, funded by the European Commission. Traffic rules differ in the EU countries. Concerning vehicle requirements by example there is a harmonisation in the EU and a lot of other European countries. But every EU country is free to determine it's own traffic behaviour regulations. Some important behaviour regulations are: speed limits, permissible levels of alcohol, use of child restrain systems, use of helmets by riders of motorized two-wheelers, use of daytime running lights, and minimum age for driving a vehicle. In the framework of the ASTERYX-project, the task was to select two traffic behaviour regulations in order to make a connection with the extent of accidents concerning these regulations. Using the CARE database, the intention was to analyse the capabilities and limitations of CARE. To succeed in this, features concerning the traffic behaviour regulations must be available within the CARE database. Preferably, auxiliary data like exposure data must also be available. Given these conditions two items were chosen in advance: • the minimum age for driving mopeds • the speed limit on motorways. This means that figures of mopeds and motorways have to be collected. After some checks about the availability of data concerning these two subjects, the definitive choice was made. The main purpose of both case studies is to demonstrate the possibilities and limitations of the use of the CARE-database. As a result of these demonstration, differences between countries will be found concerning the chosen traffic behaviour regulations. Given the main purpose, it is not the intention to explain these differences. (Author/publisher) For the other ASTERYX reports see http://ec.europa.eu/transport/roadsafety/publications/projectfiles/aste…
Samenvatting