In April 1997 the Commission issued a Communication on Road Safety. This looked at the probable future development of road safety in the EU on the basis of a continuation of past trends. These trends would result, for the 15 Member States, in a reduction of total fatalities from 45,000 in 1995, to 38,000 in 2000, to 32,000 in 2005 and 27,000 in the year 2010. However past trends can never be guaranteed to continue. It has been found that the decreasing trend in fatalities seems to have levelled out. Therefore, it is likely that by the end of this year more than 38,000 of our fellow citizens will have died as a result of a road accident. It also seems that some other estimates made in 1997 were too optimistic. Enormous differences still exist between Member States leading us again to the conclusion that there must be a large scope for improvement simply by applying best practice throughout the Union. Improving the trend towards a stronger reduction of fatalities is the responsibility of authorities at all levels, including the EU where the right frameworks should be set. The following 6 measures have been given a priority at the EU level: (1) EuroNCAP; (2) Black spot management and forgiving roadside design; (3) Seat belts and child restraints; (4) Legislation campaigns and information on enforcement of drink drive laws; (5) Speed limiters for light commercial vehicles; (6) Safer car fronts for pedestrians and cyclists. The following 5 measures are potential priorities but to assess their cost-effectiveness more research is needed: (a) Medical standards for obtaining a driving licence; (b) Testing for obtaining a driving licence; (c) Daytime running lights; (d) The effect of medicines on driver behaviour; (e) Post accident care. Finally the following supporting measures that have received a high priority ranking in the multicriteria analysis: The CARE database; an integrated information system; and research into vehicle standards and telematics. (A)
Samenvatting