Commission outlines measures to halve road deaths by 2020

The European Commission has adopted a Road safety action programme to reduce the number of road deaths on Europe's roads by half in the next decade.

The programme sets out a mix of initiatives, at European and national level, focussing on improving vehicle safety, the safety of infrastructure and road users' behaviour.

There are seven strategic objectives:

• Improved safety measures for trucks and cars
• Building safer roads
• Developing intelligent vehicles
• Strengthening licensing and training
• Better enforcement
• Targeting injuries
• A new focus on motorcyclists.

The action programme ackonledges that enforcement is a key factor in creating the conditions for a considerable reduction in the number of deaths and injuries. It also states that speeding, drink driving and failure to wear a seatbelt are the three main killers on the road. According to the action programme, measures to strengthen EU wide and national enforcement controls will include:

· The development by Member States of national implementation plans (e.g. targets as regards priority issues and the intensity of controls at national level).

· EU wide awareness campaigns

· For drink driving, penalties should be accompanied by preventative measures. For example, the Commission will consider legislative measures to require mandatory use of alco-locks for specific professional cases, such as school buses, or in the framework of rehabilitation programmes (for professional and non-professional drivers) after drink driving offences.

· The biggest cross-border driving offence is still speeding. The Commission will prioritise the adoption of legally binding measures on the cross border exchange of information in the field of road safety (2008 proposed Directive) to allow for the identification and sanctioning of foreign offenders for seatbelts, speed, alcohol and traffic light offences.

Reducing the number of injuries will be a key priority action for Europe for the next decade. The Commission will develop the elements of a comprehensive strategy of action concerning road injuries and first aid, including the establishment of EU wide data collection and analysis on injuries.

Key figures:

· Road Safety is a major societal issue. In 2009, more than 35,000 people died on the roads of the EU.

· For every death on Europe's roads there are an estimated 4 permanently disabling injuries such as damage to the brain or spinal cord, 10 serious injuries and 40 minor injuries.

· The estimated economic cost to society is 130 Billion Euro a year.

Click here to see the Road Safety Programme (2011-2020) in detail

More information:http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/events-archive/2010_07_20_road_safety_2011_2020_en.htm

Click here to download theETSC (European Transport Safety Council)press release: Ambitious target, weak programme EU Road Safety Programme 2011-2020.

Road fatalities by country (per million inhabitants)

NB. The decrease in road fatalities is expected to pass 40% in 2010 (from 36% in 2009).