To date, road transport in the Netherlands has cost 100.000 lives and caused 1,5 million injuries costing the economy some 11,4 billion guilders per year. Since the early 1970's, the Netherlands has actively applied road safety policies to curtail the problems. During this period, the measures with largest positive effect were, in order of importance: new traffic legislation, the expansion of the freeway road network, vehicle safety (seat bells et cetera) influencing road user behaviour and stimulating decentralisation. Irrespective of the enormous growth of private transport, the effect of these policies has been positive and reduced fatalities from 3.000 in 1972 to around 1.100 in 1999. Consequently, the Netherlands today is one of the safest countries in terms of road safety in Europe. However, further improvements are required a radically new approach to managing road safety. The product of this research was the sustainable safety strategy which is worked out in this report. A sustainable safe traffic system comprises: a road environment with an infrastructure adapted to road user limitations; vehicles equipped with technology to simplify the driving task and provided with features that protect vulnerable and other road users; and road users that are well informed and adequately educated. The implementation of measures proposed by sustainable safety could not realised within the short term. This resulted in the development of a detailed phased implementation programme for a future safe and sustainable traffic and transportation system. Traffic calming measures are integral to sustainable safety and their use is heavily dependent on the road category.
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