Speeding, drink driving and failure to wear a seat belt are the three main risk factors on the road. New PIN Country Rankings by relating to these dangerous behaviours provide an update of the rankings published in the 1st PIN Annual Report in 2007. This update comes at a crucial time when the EU is discussing its priorities for the forthcoming EU Road Safety Action Programme for the next ten years. This autumn the European Commission is expected to publish a new proposal for a Directive on Cross Border Enforcement of road traffic law taking into account the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. Measures to tackle these dangerous behaviours behind the wheel have been at the core of road safety policy for decades and significant progress has been made since 2001. Experience from fast progressing countries shows that progress in fighting speeding and drink driving and increasing seat belt use can be fast and save thousands of lives. The European Union has also passed stricter legislation making the use of seat belts mandatory throughout the EU. The European Commission also published two relevant Recommendations, the 2001 Recommendation on maximum permitted blood alcohol content of 0.2g/l for novice and professional drivers and 0.5g/l for other drivers, and the 2004 Recommendation on enforcement in the field of road safety. Still, there is a huge potential in addressing these three longstanding areas of road safety. If average driving speeds dropped by only 1 km/h on all roads across the EU, more than 2,200 road deaths could be prevented each year, 1,100 of them on urban roads, 1,000 on rural roads and 100 on motorways. Even if the number of deaths in accidents in which a driver is over the alcohol limit were no greater than is recorded in the accident statistics, at least 3,500 deaths could have been prevented in 2009 if drivers concerned had not drunk before taking the wheel. If, as estimated by the EC, 25% of road deaths occur in such accidents, then at least 7,500 could have been so prevented. Across the EU, an estimated 12,400 occupants of light vehicles survived serious crashes in 2009 because they wore a seat belt. Another 2,500 deaths could have been prevented if 99% of occupants had been wearing a seat belt, a rate that could be reached with seat belt reminders. The 4th European Road Safety Action Programme is now awaited with great expectation by all Member States and beyond Europe. It should provide a strong case for fighting speeding, drink driving and the failure to wear a seat belt. It should encourage all Member States — and provide support for those facing the greatest challenges — to monitor indicators of these behaviours. Member States should be prioritising road safety measures, including stricter laws, more stringent enforcement and educational campaigns, tackling the three main killers on the roads and should set themselves targets for desirable compliance levels. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting