the European Union policy Global Meeting of NGOs Advocating for Road Safety Brussels, 7 May 2009 Road Safety: the European Union policy Maria Cristina Marolda European Commission Directorate General Energy & Transport Road Safety Unit

The EU road safety policy White Paper on Transport (2001) European Road Safety Action Programme (2001-2010) Halving the number of victims by 2010 A shared responsibility An integrated approach

The 50% objective A political & global commitment Individual responsibility of Member States Each Member State should strive to perform at least as well as the best-performing ones

A shared responsibility Action by ALL stakeholders is needed Public Authorities: EU + Central Governments + Local Authorities… Private Companies: Car industry + Transport companies + Road operators Users: everybody ! The EU acts wherever it provides an added value Only a quick word on this topic since the afternoon is dedicated to the European Road Safety Charter

An integrated approach Vehicle Driver Infrastructure Vehicle safety Passive and active safety Technical inspection Road Infrastructure safety User behaviour Enforcement Driving licences Education Campaigns

The EU instruments Road accident data and information Financial support to research and studies Best practice guidelines Legislation (only when necessary)

The European Road Safety Charter Extension of the “shared responsibility” concept to civil society Over 1200 signatories so far Signatories commit themselves to concrete and measurable actions Commission creates awareness and makes commitments public Logo Awards Presentations Reports and newsletters http://www.erscharter.eu/

European Road Safety Days 1st Coordination with the 1st global road safety week (UN) Focus on Young drivers Brussels 2nd European Road Safety Day: Paris, 13 Oct. 2008 Focus on safety in urban transport 3rd European Road Safety Day: … 2010

Some EU-wide Road Safety Campaigns (Red Cross) www.1-life.info/ www.chooseesc.eu/ European Night without Accident Level Crossings Helmet wearing

Setting up Policy Priorities Detailed data on crashes, fatalities and casualties Monitoring the progress of casualty reduction actions Identifying overall efficiency of safety countermeasures Reference data This gives us the big picture but we need to know why

Setting up Policy Priorities Effectiveness of existing regulations Technical development Assessment of non-regulatory activities (e.g. Euro-NCAP) Support for Industry – new products and technologies New needs in regulation Vehicle Safety © EuroNCAP

Infrastructure Safety Setting up Policy Priorities Infrastructure Safety Highway design requirements System interactions (e.g. vehicle/barrier) Extension of requirements to secondary roads (subsidiarity)

Setting up Policy Priorities Road Users Behaviour New priorities in accident prevention Understanding driver decision making (naturalistic driving) Effectiveness of enforcement measures

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Use of information and communication technologies in transport, e.g. phones, satellites, computer, sensors reduction of congestion by 5-15% 5-15% less fatalities and 5-10% less injuries electronic stability control (ESC), lane keeping support, speed alert, emergency call (eCall) possible savings of 10-20% CO2 emissions | 14

ITS for Road Safety and Security Promotion of in-vehicle safety systems Introduction of Europe-wide eCall Regulatory framework on safe human-machine interactions including nomadic devices Best-practice guidelines: impact of ITS on vulnerable road users Best-practice guidelines: secure parking places for trucks | 15

Challenges to be addresses in the next Road Safety Action Programme Demographic change Young drivers Vulnerable users Systemic approach (3 components) Response to technological development (including ITS) | 16

The next EU Road Safety Action Programme Consultation open to all stakeholders: (June-October 2009) YOU identify needs and priorities EC translates them into a political action plan | 17

Thank you for your attention! http://ec.europa.eu/roadsafety