Brussels, 20/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - Some of the actions proposed by the European Commission in its road safety action plan adopted on Tuesday 20 July, include a refusal to fund roads that do not comply with European standards, gradual roadworthiness inspection techniques and the development of a common training strategy. The programme covers the 2011-20 period and aims to halve the overall number of road deaths in the European Union over the next decade by basing initiatives on the improvement of vehicle safety, safety of infrastructure and driver education. In the longer term, the Commission would also like to see a target to reduce the number of those injured, which is declining but still remains above 1.4 million.
In his presentation to the press of the action plan adopted, Siim Kallas, the commissioner for transport, declared: “We will expend our efforts to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities. The cost of human suffering is €180 billion a year. It is too high a price to pay”. For each fatality (more than 35,000 in 2009), four died from a permanent disability caused by brain or spinal injuries, explained the commissioner. The commissioner also stated: ” We want to see a new injuries target introduced as soon as possible”. No date has been set yet for defining such a target. So far, the plan includes the identification and clarification of action, such as the elaboration of an intervention guide, the common definition of lesions (still being discussed at the World Health Organisation) and the setting up of mixed rescue teams between member states. Six other strategic objectives were also defined. Action for improving user education and training: the Commission will be cooperating with member states on the development of a training strategy, which will help raise road safety awareness. It also aims to introduce minimum common requirements for instructors and ensuring pre-driving licence apprenticeships; enhancing inspections and application of the road safety code: the Commission will work towards finalising the directive on facilitating the exchange of cross border information on road safety. Other measures call for the elaboration of national road safety implementation plans, the introduction of speed limiters in light commercial vehicles and alcohol interlock devices. The latter are expected to be made obligatory, especially in school buses; - improve infrastructure safety, Community funding will only be made available to roads that comply with directives on road and tunnel safety. The promotion of good practices is planned to strengthen secondary road network safety; proposals are also being developed for vehicle safety improvement, gradual harmonisation of technical inspections and roadside inspections; a feasibility study is expected to be carried out to evaluate the possibility of retrofitting commercial vehicles and private cars with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The deployment of the eCall electronic call system is expected to be speeded up and extended to other modes of transport, such as motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles and buses. Protecting the most vulnerable users (pedestrians, cyclists, the elderly), particularly motorcyclists (45% of all fatalities in 2008). The introduction of two-wheeler vehicle inspection and the promotion of appropriate infrastructure are also priorities in this domain. (A.By./transl.fl)