[pic] | COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES |

Brussels, 22.02.2006

SEC(2006) 221

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

European Road Safety Action Programme - Mid-term Review{COM(2006) 74 final}

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

European Road Safety Action Programme - Mid-term Review

INTRODUCTION

This document from the Commission services and other accompanyingdocuments that are published separately on the Europa web site http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/road/roadsafety/index_en.htm (Road safety Country profiles ; impact assessment) are supporting the communication of the Commission – mid term review of the road safety action programme [COM(2006)--- final, --.--.2006].

It includes five parts:

1. Road accident statistics;

2. Member States summary sheets (the full Country profiles are available on the Europa web site mentioned above);

3. Legislation and other texts adopted since 1st January 2001;

4. Selection of projects and studies carried out with support from the Commission since 2001; detail on the Europa web site – road safety http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/road/publications/projectfiles/index_en.htm

5. Examples of commitments within the framework of the European road safety Charter.

1 Road accident statistics (sources: CARE and national data)

The statistics of the four first pages are based on data from all EU25 Member States.

The detailed breakdowns (6 next pages) are based on data from EU15 Member States only (CARE and Germany’s data). The “last available year” is 2004 except for Belgium (2001).

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Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany and new Member States

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany and new Member States

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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Source: Eurostat, CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany and new Member States.

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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[pic]Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany (Germany not included)

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

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Source: CARE database for EU 15 countries except Germany and national data for Germany

Belgium data not available for 2003 and 2004

Evolution of killed by population (per million inhabitants)

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2 Member States summary sheets

Situation as of 1st April 2005

Belgium

Prior to 2001, road safety was not prioritised and Belgium had more fatalities per million inhabitants than the EU-25 and EU-15 average. According to the available provisional data for 2002 a slight decrease in the number of road fatalities was noticed.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Belgium:

- Ministry of Transport (Mobility)

- Belgium Road Safety Institute

- Inter-Ministerial Committee for Road Safety

- Federal Commission on Road Safety

- Federal Police

- Flemish Road Safety Agency

- National Institute of Statistics

- University centres.

In 2001 the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Road Safety and the Federal Commission on Road Safety were created. The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Road Safety is composed of Regional Ministers for Infrastructure and Mobility, as well as Federal Ministers of Justice, the Interior, Urban Policy, Mobility and Transport. The Federal Commission on Road Safety is composed of experts and representatives of courts, police, departments and stakeholders.

In 2001 the Federal Police was ordered to prepare and implement a road safety action plan. The first aim of the Belgian government was to increase traffic control on the road network by 10 % in 2003 and install radars for speed controls. The measures focused on speeding above the authorised limits, ignoring red traffic lights and flashing lights at railroad crossings. It was also decided to improve statistics and create different indicators to improve protection of vulnerable road users. Promotion of the use of protective equipment was stressed as well.

As for road users, in 2002 the system of driving licence exams was reformed. The particular attention was put on drink-driving. Drink-driving on Friday and Saturday nights has decreased by 40 % over the period 2000-2004. As far as road infrastructure is concerned, its management is decentralised.

Czech Republic

In April 2004 the Czech Government approved the National Strategy on Road Safety with the main goal of reducing the number of fatalities by 50 % by 2010. This means the number of fatalities had to be less than 650 in 2010.

In the Czech Republic over the period between 2001 and 2005 the number of road fatalities has decreased by 4%.

Institutions responsible for road safety in the Czech Republic:

- Ministry of Transport

- Ministry of the Interior

- Police

- Czech Governmental Council for Road Safety

- Road and Motorway Directorate

- Transport Research Centre

- State Fund of Transport

- Ministry of Health

- Ministry of Education

The Czech Governmental Council for Road Safety consists of representatives of both governmental and non-governmental bodies and is the main co-ordinating institution at governmental level.

The adopted National Road Safety Strategy is going to be evaluated every year. The main measures indicated in the strategy refer to closer co-operation at all levels including NGOs, more efficient law enforcement by introducing higher penalties for Highway Code offenders together with the introduction of the penalty point system, road safety campaigns and road user education. Furthermore in 2001, the Czech Government approved a long-term programme called “Health for All in the 21st Century” which has a chapter on road traffic injury prevention.

As for road users, speed cameras have been put in place in some cities and villages. Campaigns on speeding and drink-driving have been carried out. As for vehicles, the Czech authorities would like to concentrate on the problem of the increased traffic of heavy goods vehicles. As far as road infrastructure is concerned, the Czech Republic focuses on the construction of motorways (TEN corridors) and on construction of by-passes.

Denmark

In 2000 a new national action plan on road safety was launched. Its main objective is to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries by 40 % in the period 2001-2012, compared to the base year 1998.

The total number of fatalities and injuries, has been reduced continuously in the period from 1994-2003. The number of fatalities in road accidents in 2005 has been 317, compared to the the target for 2012 of no more than 300 fatalities.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Denmark:

- Ministry of Justice

- Ministry of Transport

- Danish Road Directorate

- Danish Road Safety and Transport Agency

- Danish Commission on Road Safety

- Danish Transport Research Institute

- Danish Road Safety Council

- Traffic Police

- Accident Investigation Board

- Counties and municipalities

Responsibility in Denmark is divided in three political levels: the national level with Parliament, the regional level with counties and the local level with municipalities. Approximately half of the municipalities have formulated their own targets. The Danish Parliament is responsible for adopting legislation. Both regional and municipal levels have political boards.

Approximately 85 % of all road accidents involve one or more of the four elements: speeding, alcohol, cyclists, and/or junctions. The Danish Commission on Road Safety has therefore recommended continuous emphasis on these four focus areas.

As far as road users are concerned, Denmark has a focus on new drivers, speed control and campaigns such as on speeding, drink driving or the use of seatbelts. A probation period of three years for new drivers was introduced on 1 March 2002. A point system for driving licences was introduced on 1 September 2005. Speed cameras operated by the Traffic Police were introduced on a permanent basis in 2000. Several targeted campaigns are carried out every year. The campaigns are always accompanied by increased police control. The Danish Traffic Police has planned 28 nationwide controls e.g. on speeding, drink driving, cyclists, light vans, motorways and heavy goods vehicles

Germany

In 2001 the “Programme for more safety in road transport” was adopted. The programme is based on an overall view of mobility and safety as human and social behaviour are considered to be an important part of a road safety culture.

In Germany over the period between 2001 and 2005 the number of road fatalities has decreased by 23 %.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Germany:

- German Federal Ministry for Transport, Housing and City Planing

- German Road Safety Council

- local road safety associations

- BASt (Federal Highway Research Institute)

- Road and Transportation Research Association

- Federal Ministry of Justice

- Police

- Federal Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Drivers

The German Federal Ministry for Transport, Housing and City Planing is responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the road safety programme. The Ministry also maintains the federal road system and is responsible for developing a Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan.

The German federal road safety policy aims to:

- improve the behaviour of all road users

- protect vulnerable road users

- reduce the accident rate of young drivers

- reduce the accident number of heavy vehicles

- improve road safety on highways.

The German “Programme for more safety in road transport” does not have fixed targets. However, it focuses on:

- traffic behaviour (information campaigns for several groups such as motorcyclists and cyclists)

- safer cars and telematics e.g. better visual fields for heavy vehicles smart restraints etc.

- safer roads (road network planning, road safety audits of all road projects, bicycle facilities)

- As for road users, the German authorities concentrate on campaigns, enforcement and education. As for vehicles, the attention is put on daytime running lights. As far as road infrastructure is concerned, independent monitoring systems with road safety audits will be implemented in the near future to assure safe planning.

Estonia

In the beginning of 2003 the Estonian Government has adopted the National Traffic Safety Programme 2003-2015. The main goal of the programme is to achieve a level of less than 100 fatalities in road accidents in Estonia in 2015. The main priorities of the programme are education, reduction in the incidence of intoxicated driving, reduction of speeding, increased use of passive safety measures, improvement of road infrastructure and improved safety for vulnerable road users.

Statistics show a fluctuating development in the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities throughout the period from 1991 to 2004 in Estonia. The number of accidents and injuries are significantly higher in 2004 than in 1991, whereas the number of fatalities has undergone a positive development overall with a significant reduction.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Estonia:

- Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications

- Estonian Road Administration

- Estonian Motor Vehicle Registration Centre

- Ministry of Internal Affairs

- Ministry of Social Affairs

- Ministry of Education and Sciences

- Estonian Traffic Insurance Fund

As there are no specific institutions dealing with transport safety studies and surveys in Estonia, the main practice is to use independent road safety consultants and experts from different organisations. Key organisations are universities and private consultants.

In addition Special Commission on the investigation of severe road accidents has been established.

A road safety audit system was introduced recently, to clarify accident causes and severity development (roadworthiness, holes, obstacles, ditches, trees at roadside, other road equipment without interference, etc.). In 2002, a project was initiated to locate traffic accidents by GPS and GIS tools and a range of information has been gathered.

As far as road users are concerned, Estonia draws particular attention to road user behaviour. The use of winter tyres (studded or M+S type) has been compulsory from December to March since 1997. Child restraint systems have been mandatory since 1996 and daytime running lights since 1995. Raising speed limits during the summertime has been strictly regulated since 1998 with positive results for the development of road safety.

Special TV programmes focusing on road safety problems are broadcast on three television channels once a week for 40 weeks annually. Furthermore, there is a training programme to improve defensive and economical driving skills (EcoDriving). Other training programmes focus on practising slippery track driving and risk avoidance skills. These themes are now also included in compulsory driver education and complement the post-novice drivers’ training period.

Greece

In 2001, the Inter-ministerial Committee of Road Safety adopted a strategic plan for the improvement of road safety in Greece for the period 2001-2005. The strategic plan is implemented through four different programmes and corresponding road safety action plans. The main objective of the combined actions of the four programmes is to reduce the number of road fatalities by 20 % by the year 2005 and by 40 % by the year 2015 (compared to the base year 2000). This objective has recently been modified to a 50 % reduction by 2010 through a 2nd National Strategic Plan for the period 2006-2010.

Whereas accident statistics show a minor increase in the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities between 1994 and 1998, the number of fatalities decreased by 27 % between 1998 and 2003. However, the number of fatalities per million inhabitants in Greece remains above the EU average.

Institution responsible for road safety in Greece:

- Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works

- Ministry of Transport and Communications

- Ministry of Public Order

- Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare

- Regions and Prefecture Administrations and Municipalities

The authority responsible for the coordination of the implementation of the National Road Safety Strategic Plan is the Inter-ministerial Committee on Road Safety (ICRF) established in 1999, which monitors and coordinates all efforts, decisions and actions for the improvement of road safety at national level. It also has the responsibility for the promotion policy and the quantified monitoring of the road safety system. A council of road safety experts and a support mechanism provide continuous support to the ICRF.

Apart from the official authorities, private initiative plays a major role for road safety policy in Greece, i.e. the association of Insurance Companies of Greece, the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece, the Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers, the Hellenic Association for Road Traffic Accident Victim Support and the Paediatric Trauma Care, are in road safety actions.

With regard to traffic law enforcement, four types of traffic violations have been characterised as dangerous, posing a threat to the health for road users and having direct impact on public safety: speeding, drink driving, non-use of seatbelts and non-use of helmets. The Police have acquired 600 new photography radars for use on the national road network. The Traffic Police routinely organises crews for speed checks with emphasis on the national road network and the dangerous spots. Special awareness campaigns are implemented in the context of the “On the Road” Police operational programme. The campaigns include road safety conferences, seminars, TV and radio promotions and distribution of information bulletins and brochures at toll stations during the weekends and national holidays when large numbers of people leave the Metropolitan centres.

Emphasis is on seatbelt use, helmet use, and observance of the speed limits and on drink-driving violations.

Spain

In 2001 Spain had 135 fatalities by million inhabitants, above EU average. A change on the trend has started in 2003 and in two years the number of fatalities decreased approximately 15 %.

The Spanish government has undertaken efforts in the last two years to reduce the number of road accidents and victims, in line with the EU objectives. The Spanish political system is organised in four levels of government: national, regional, provincial, and municipal.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Spain:

- Ministry for the Internal Affairs, General Directorate for Road Traffic.

- Ministry of Transport and Public Roads

- Regional and local Authorities

Spain annually releases the national targets and actions concerning the Road Safety Plan.

The new “Strategic Road Safety Plan, 2005-2008” has the target to reduce by 40% the number of fatalities over the period. The Basque Country and Catalonia have assumed powers concerning road traffic and road safety within their regional territories.

The body responsible for the state road network is the General Directorate for Roads, of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works. The competences of the DGC include all technical and operational aspects of the state road network; development of legislation and technical standards, designing of road projects and plans, road maintenance and supervision of concessionary road firms.

At the end of 2004, DGT created the National Observatory for Road Safety to centralise the expertise on road safety. Some of the competences are: proposing, supporting and evaluating road safety policies, follow-up and analysis of statistics on accidents, undertaking research and development activities, promoting road safety congresses and seminars, international relationships with similar foreign institutions and providing support to other national or local institutions and agencies devoted to the promotion of road safety.

Major changes on the traffic rules came into force on 1 January 2004 concerning several issues. Limitations for mobile phones, revised speed limits for some vehicle categories, tunnel safety, emergency vests, cycling, new types of signs and signals, an increase in the quantity of sanctions and the extension of B1 licences for driving motorcycles under 125 cc without taking further exams or issuing an A licence. A very important issue of the 2004 reform was the status change of some traffic offences from administrative to penal infractions.

New legislation has been issued in 2005 concerning the introduction of a 12-point driving licence with a potential temporary disqualification for driving.

France

Over the last 5 years, public awareness of road safety has increased considerably in France. It was a political issue in the 2002 French election, resulting in road safety becoming one of the main priorities of the current administration.

The main measures taken initially were related to improved control of road offences and increased penalties for speeding, drink-driving and not using seatbelts.

From 2001 to 2004, the number of fatalities decreased from 8162 to 5530, or a decline of approximately 30 %. The main reason for this decline is a reduction of the average speed (40 %), improvement of drink-driving behaviour (17 %), and improved seatbelt use (11 %).This trend continued in 2005.

Institutions responsible for road safety in France:

- the Inter-ministerial Committee for Road Safety (CISR)

- the National Inter-ministerial Road Safety Observatory

- the Road Safety and Traffic Department

- the National Road Safety Council

- the Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Housing, Tourism and the Sea/ Road Safety and Traffic Department

France does not have a road safety plan with pre-defined targets in terms of fatalities to be reached within a time period. The approach is a sliding (annual) action plan issued and monitored by the CISR. The major idea underlying the actions undertaken in the period 2003-2004 is that the road safety rules should apply to all citizens without distinction and should be enforced strongly and equally (mainly speeding, alcohol and seatbelts). Therefore, a new law was adopted in 2003, reinforcing provisions against road violence and imposing more severe penalties in the event of fatal or injury road accidents. Furthermore, a range of measures such as automatic radar controls (every citizen is treated equally and the police can focus on other tasks).

The change in the political agenda and public awareness, together with increased media coverage, has been a main factor in defining and implementing new road safety measures in France in recent years.

The main cause of road fatalities is speeding, followed by drink-driving. These have been defined as initial priority areas together with seatbelt use, combined with increased police enforcement of traffic offences and increased fines, as well as reinforcement of the penalty system for road offences.

In addition, several other measures have been taken, such as improving education, driving licence schools, improving infrastructure, road safety campaigns.

Ireland

The current national action plan is the “Road Safety Strategy 2004-2006”. It follows the previous strategy named “The Road to Safety” (1998-2002).

In Ireland over the period between 2001 and 2005 the number of road fatalities has decreased by 3.1 %.

The main road safety problems are speeding and drink-driving. Seatbelt wearing has improved significantly in recent years, with an 84 % wearing rate in the front. Rear seatbelt wearing rates are 46 %. In October 2002 penalty points for speeding were introduced.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Ireland:

- Department of Transport

- Department of the Environment

- Heritage and Local Government

- Department of Justice

- Department of Health and Children

- Police

- National Roads Authority

- National Safety Council

The primary target of the “Road Safety Strategy 2004-2006” is a 25 % reduction in road fatalities by the end of 2006 compared to the average annual fatalities between 1998 and 2003. The secondary targets comprise mainly the reduction of speeding, increased use of seatbelts, improved measures for preventing drink-driving and improvement of the road network.

For the years to come, it is anticipated that changes will be made in order to improve the use of seatbelts and reduce drink-driving and speeding. An important measure will be to change the legislation and enable the police to perform an appropriate form of random testing for drink-driving.

Behaviour, education and enforcement are regarded as central elements in reducing collisions. As far as vehicles are concerned, Ireland aims at currying further research on daytime running lights.

Italy

Italy has experienced fewer accidents, injuries and fatalities in 2003 and 2004 initially encouraged by the adoption of the Road Safety Strategy of 2000 and the 2001 revision of the Highway Code. The implementation of the road safety strategy and the revised Highway Code has begun to materialise in terms of fewer accidents, injuries and fatalities in 2003 and 2004.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Italy:

- the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport

- the Directorate for Road Safety

- the National Road Safety Committee

- the Road Safety Advisory Board

The Government paper “National Plan for Road Safety” issued in 2002 outlines the direction to be followed at national and regional levels.

Initially, the 2002 national plan aimed 40 % reduction in the number of fatalities and 20 % reduction in the number of injuries by 2010

Meanwhile, the EU strategy on road safety has been adopted into the National Plan for Road Safety, with the aim to reduce the number of fatalities by 50% by 2010, as compared to 2001.

The implementation is largely decentralised; thus it is the responsibility of regional and local authorities to implement the road safety strategy and action plans. There is scope for regional bodies to go beyond the national strategy and implement additional rules, according to particular requirements. Regional and local centres receive a percentage of collected fines in revenue, as well as direct national funding.

During the Italian EU Presidency in 2003, the Italian Government showed its commitment to road safety by holding an EU ad-hoc meeting on road safety. The Verona Conference resulted in the Verona Declaration signed by the EU-25 countries and members of EEA and EFTA. The declaration aims to ensure political support and leadership to implementing road safety measures, particularly those which have been documented and are ready to be implemented. A similar meeting is envisaged to be held every year in Verona, arranged together with the respective holder of the EU presidency, with the participation of the European Commission.

The Highway Code establishes the competences and laws for dealing with road transport, vehicle requirements, driving rules and infrastructure. The Highway Code was dramatically in 2003, strengthening road safety measures considerably, as well as increasing fines and enforcement.

A main point is the introduction of a penalty point system for breaking the Highway Code.

Main changes have been introduced on enforcement and fines of the use of seatbelts, alcohol abuse or wearing helmets for motorcyclist. Daytime running lights, wearing a reflective vest when leaving a vehicle in areas (outside cities) became obligatory.

Cyprus

In 2001 the Ministry of Communications and Works approved a 5-year Strategic Action Plan for Road Safety (2002-2006) with a target to reduce by 20 % road accident fatalities and serious injuries by the end of 2006 (compared to the average figures of the period 1996-2000). A second Strategic Plan for Road Safety (2005-2010) based on the revision of the first plan was approved in December 2004 in order to improve the procedures and road safety resources of the original plan, and to adopt the European target for halving the number of road accident victims by 2010.

In Cyprus, the number of road fatalities has increased considerably over the period between 2001 and 2005.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Cyprus:

- Ministry of Communications and Works (responsible for road infrastructure drivers and vehicles)

- Cyprus Traffic Police

- Ministry of Justice and Public Order (enforcement)

- Ministry of Education and Culture (road safety education)

- Ministry of Health (emergency medical care)

In addition, the Cyprus Road Safety Council has been set up. The Council is a national body advising the Ministry of Communications and Works on road safety issues. It is composed of the representatives of the institutions mentioned above.

The main road safety problems in Cyprus are higher rates for motorcyclists and elderly pedestrians, traffic violations by young drivers, speeding, drunk-driving and low compliance with traffic rules, especially regarding seatbelt use and speed limits. That is why the Traffic Code has been modified over the past five years to introduce new traffic rules concerning the compulsory use of seatbelts in cars for all passengers, the compulsory use of crash helmets for motorcycles or on-the-spot fines. The main road safety actions proposed for 2005 concern traffic checks for speeding, drink-driving and the improvement of road network safety (barriers, pedestrian crossings, etc.).

As for road users, the system of driving licence exams was reformed according to the EU legislation. Road safety has been introduced in secondary and primary schools. As far as road infrastructure is concerned, the introduction of speed cameras is planned.

Latvia

The first Latvian national road safety programme covers the period 2000-2006 and sets a primary target of reducing the number of fatalities by 50 % throughout the period.

A wide range of measures have been identified for improving road safety and achieving the primary target. However, the resources available in terms of manpower and financial means are limited. Approximately three quarters of the safety programme have been realised. According to the statistics, in the period from 1991 to 2004, the number of accidents and injuries has increased, whereas the number of fatalities has decreased.

The main achievements in recent years comprise a reduction of the number of alcohol-related accidents, an increase in seatbelt use and the introduction of administrative penalties. The latter determined both more severe penalties for violation of road traffic rules as well as precise and detailed classification of violations. The implementation of the penalty point system has been effective in terms of reducing the number of injuries and fatalities.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Latvia:

- Ministry of Transport

- Road Traffic Safety Directorate

- National Road Safety Council

- Road Traffic Safety Directorate

- Ministry of the Interior including the State Police (Road Police)

- State Fire Fighting and Rescue Service

- Ministry of Education

- Ministry of Health including the Emergency Medical Centre

- local authorities

The road safety policy is founded on three cornerstones:

- Principles ensuring road traffic safety

- Control of safety conditions of traffic

- Alleviation of the consequences of accidents.

The Road Traffic Safety Directorate together with the State Police and “Latvian state roads” are continuously monitoring and evaluating the progress of the improvement of road safety. According to the target of the road safety programme, the number of fatalities should have been no higher than 400 in 2004. The number of fatalities in 2004 was 516.

Among the main reasons for the deviation from the target line are poor behaviour by road users, speeding, alcohol and high number of accidents occurring in the hours of twilight and darkness.

Lithuania

The current national action plan in Lithuania is the “Complex traffic safety development programme until 2010” which follows the previous strategy named “The Road Safety Programme 2001-2005”. The main target is a 50 % reduction in road fatalities and 20 % reduction in road injuries from 2004 to 2010.

In Lithuania number of accidents, injuries and fatalities has increased during the late 1990's with a peak level in 1998-1999. A significant reduction in all three indicators up to 2000 has been followed by an increase until 2004.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Lithuania:

- Traffic Safety Commission

- Ministry of Transport and Communications

- The Traffic Safety Department

- Ministry of the Interior

- Ministry of Health

- Ministry of Education and Science

- Transport and Road Research Institute (TRRI)

- Automobiles Transport Department of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

- Lithuanian – Polish enterprise “Transport Scientific Research Centre”

- Traffic Police

The current road safety programme lists a number of actions to be implemented in order to achieve the target. In a general context it is proposed to give priority to the areas of vulnerable road users, conditions in darkness and twilight, drink-driving and the condition of municipal roads.

A concrete proposal is that a special parliamentary standing committee should be set up, responsible for discussing and stipulating goals and objectives for work on road safety. On a ministerial level, the need for one specific ministry to be responsible for driver training is stressed. The technical inspection of vehicles has to be re-organised. The Ministry of the Interior should have direct responsibility for the control of road users.

Regarding the financial resources for improving road safety, the funds collected as penalties for infringements should be partially used for the implementation of the road safety policy. An increased financial role of the insurance sector is desired in terms of compulsory participation in the financing of road safety policies.

The monitoring of the implementation of the road safety programme is the responsibility of the Traffic Safety Commission. To support the implementation of the safety strategy, it should be clearly coordinated with other investment plans relating to the road transport system. Furthermore, reaching the target should be a common task of national, regional and local authorities.

Luxembourg

The primary objective of the Government of Luxembourg as regards road safety is to reduce the number of victims (both killed and injured) on the roads. At present, no target or goal has been established for 2010. However, the Government Programme of August 2004 constitutes a medium-term road safety plan, and road safety improvements are envisaged to be achieved both by prevention and enforcement.

Luxembourg road traffic patterns and consequently road safety figures are influenced by the high level of commuting cross-border traffic. Combined, these two factors represented more than 20 % of the fatalities in 2003 (11 deaths). The number of fatalities has decreased in the last years.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Luxemburg:

- The Ministry of the Interior

- The Ministry of Public Works

- The Ministry of Public Health

- The Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Transport has the overall responsibility for road safety in Luxembourg, and collaborates closely with the Police (approx. 700 policemen present on the entire road network) who, besides enforcement of road safety (together with the Ministry of Justice) provide data and information.

Analysis of statistics shows that the main cause of fatalities is speed, followed by fatigue and non observance of right of way rules. During the past 5 years, public awareness of road safety has increased as has the political support for measures. Police enforcement has become more focused on road safety, and the number of controls targeting road safety has increased significantly.

As far as road users are concerned, Luxembourg is improving the systematic transmission of road safety offences by non-residents to the judicial bodies of their countries of origin. Road safety campaigns take place all year round, focusing on different issues such as wearing seatbelts on urban or rural roads, wearing helmets, drink-driving and speeding.

Hungary

The Hungarian National Transport Safety Programme was adopted by the government in 1993. The goal was to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries by 20-30 % compared to 1992. A new updated transport safety programme is to be adopted for the period 2010-2015.

The main problems in Hungary with regard to road safety are a low rate of seatbelt use, speeding, lack of bypasses and relatively low police budget for road safety initiatives. The number of fatalities has increased by 4.3 % over the period between 2001 and 2005.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Hungary:

- Ministry of Economy and Transport

- Ministry of the Interior

- Police

- National Accident Prevention Committee

- County Road Management Non-Profit Enterprises

- Directorate for the Coordination of Road Transport Affairs

- Transport Science Institute

The key priorities of the Hungarian National Transport Safety Programme include enhancement of the Hungarian sections of the pan-European road network and improvement of the conditions of employment in transport. The Programme covers also road management and draws particular attention to “black spots” and vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists).

As for road users, Hungary concentrates on a positive change in the behaviour of motorists, use of seat belts and drink-driving. As for vehicles, periodical inspections are of importance for the Hungarian authorities. As far as road infrastructure is concerned, the priority is given to modernisation of the motorway network and road-railway crossing points.

Malta

Currently there is no national road safety plan for Malta. However the first Road Strategy Plan was expected to be released in 2005. The government has recently prepared a White Paper setting objectives for land transport policy. One of the objectives of the White Paper is “safe travel for all users” with a target of a 50 % reduction in injuries by 2014. One of the first activities has been to improve accident data collection on site.

The development of accidents in Malta has to be taken with care. Due to the small absolute number of cars any accident and any fatality has big influence on the statistics. However the trend appears to be the number of accidents has decreased significantly in the last years.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Malta:

- Ministry of Urban Development and Roads

- Malta Transport Authority (MTA)

- Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs (MJHA)

- Malta Police Force (especially the Traffic Section)

- Local wardens

- Licensing and Testing Directorate

- Public Transport Directorate

The Ministry of Urban Development and Roads, through its operational arm, the Malta Transport Authority (MTA) holds the main responsibility concerning roads, cars and drivers.The Maltese government has taken initiatives in order to reduce the number of accidents and improve safety. Such measures, like the obligatory seat belt usage, the compulsory use of crash helmets for motorized two-wheelers, the installation of traffic lights, the protected pedestrian crossings, the intensified police presence on the roads, etc., have resulted in improvement.As far as road users are concerned, the latest regulatory measures included the introduction and enforcement of drink/drive laws, compulsory use of seatbelts for front passengers and drivers, compulsory use of proper seating equipment for children and new regulations on the carriage of dangerous goods.

The Netherlands

The new road safety programme as approved by Parliament in 2005 targets an annual maximum of 900 fatalities and a maximum 17 000 serious injuries by 2010 and an annual maximum of 640 fatalities and 13 500 serious injuries in traffic by 2020.

In 2004 the figure of fatal road accidents already dropped sharply to a total of 800. Preliminary road safety estimates shows a continuation of the downward trend in the number of fatalities.

Institutions responsible for road safety in the Netherlands:

- Ministry of Transport

- Provinces

- Metropolitan conurbations

- Regional Road Safety Agencies

- Police

The Ministry of Transport is the organisation with overall responsibility for road safety legislation and responsibility for the provision, operation and maintenance of the highway network, although the actual implementation of legislation and policy decisions is decentralised; the provinces draft regional plans in order to support achievement of the national targets.

In the first phase (1997-2002) of the new concept called “Sustainable Safety”, the Netherlands improved the road environment and infrastructure, vehicle equipment and education of road users (conversion of roads in built-up areas into 30 km/h zones, and roads outside built-up areas into 60 km/h zones, intersections on arterial roads are controlled by road signs and infrastructural means and enforcement of new traffic laws have been intensified). The second phase of implementation (2003-2010) is focussing on education and information, stricter enforcement, vehicle technologies (alcohol lock, EuroNCAP), spatial planning and specific measures aimed at the commercial transport sector (safety culture in freight transport).

As far as road users are concerned, enforcement follows best practice, focusing on the following priority areas: Speeding, drink-driving, seatbelt use, red light violations and not wearing crash helmets. The number of speeding controls has increased significantly in recent years, combined with information to the roads users. Furthermore, the number of automated radar controls is being increased as this has proven to be an efficient tool. Follow-up on the increased enforcement has been prioritised; therefore almost all recorded speed offences result in fines.

Austria

In January 2002 Austria decided to carry out a comprehensive road safety programme with a target of halving the number of road fatalities by 2010. The objective of the “Austrian Road Safety Programme” is to reduce the number of road fatalities and to raise road safety standards.

In Austria since the mid-1990s there has been a downward trend in the number of fatalities. According to recent data over the period between 2001 and 2005 the number of road fatalities has decreased by 18 %.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Austria:

- Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology

- Ministry for the Interior

- Austrian Road Safety Board

- representatives of the regions

- representatives of local municipalities.

In general, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology is responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the “Austrian Road Safety Programme”. The programme refers to human behaviour, infrastructure and vehicles. It also covers the issues concerning seatbelts and child restraints, alcohol and drug use, traffic, safe following distances between vehicles, driving speeds, motorised 2-wheeled vehicles, pedestrian safety, accident black spots, tunnel safety and motorway roadwork zones. The programme will primarily be implemented through incentives e.g. demonstration projects funded at federal level in co-operation with regional or local levels, a contest “Best in Austria”, promotional budgets for specific problem areas, such as redesign of urban thoroughfares.

Regional and local road authorities have the possibility of developing their safety plans according to the principles indicated in the “Austrian Road Safety Programme”. In addition, a number of regions, as well as the Austrian motorway operator ASFINAG, have now set up their own sectoral road safety programmes.

As far as road users are concerned, Austria draws particular attention to increase seatbelt use by at least 10 % by 2010 and increase child restraint systems use to at least 95 %. Additionally, the Austrian authorities aim at fitting crash accident data recorders in vehicles which require high responsibility and making it mandatory. Safety of heavy goods vehicles is also of interest of the Austrian government which wants to launch pilot projects for side and rear view cameras. As for road infrastructure improvement, Austria aims at laying down mandatory standards for the definition of a “black spot” as approximately 25 % of all road accidents in Austria occur at “black spots”.

Poland

In Poland over the period between 2001 and 2005 the number of road fatalities has increased by 3 %. The number of fatalities did not change in 2002 and 2003.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Poland:

- Ministry of Transport and Construction (former Ministry of Infrastructure)

- Ministry of the Interior

- National Road Safety Council

- Directorate General of National Roads and Motorways

- Research centres and universities.

Ministry of Transport and Construction is responsible for the national transport policy. The Ministry supervises the Director General for National Roads and Motorways and the Chief Inspector for Road Transport.

The National Road Safety Council is chaired by the Minister for Transport. Members of the National Road Safety Council are nominated by the Prime Minister and represent the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Justice as well as other ministers responsible for public administration, state budget, public finance, economy, spatial management, housing, education, environment, transport, labour and the Chief of Police, the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, the Director General for National Roads and Motorways.

The first National Road Safety Programme GAMBIT 2000 was adopted in 2001. The target was to reduce the number of road accidents to 4 000 by 2010. This meant a reduction of 36 % compared to the 2000 figures. In 2005 the Polish government adopted the revised National Road Safety Programme GAMBIT 2005. It sets out the government’s priorities for the next 10 years and new safety targets. According to the programme, by 2013 Poland will reduce fatalities by 50 %.

The Programme focuses on vulnerable road users, speed limits, drink-driving and the use of seatbelts. The problem of young drivers aged 18–24 who are very often involved in road accidents is also taken into consideration.

Poland has a penalty points system for traffic offences. Daytime running lights must be used from 1 October till the end of February. In 2004, the 50 km/h speed limit in built-up areas was introduced, but the limit applies only between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Portugal

In 2001 Portugal had 163 Road accidents fatalities by million inhabitants. A change on the trend has started in 2003 and from 2001 to 2004, the number of fatalities decreased approximately 30 %.

The National Plan for Road Accident Prevention, which was launched in 2003 by a technical commission chaired by the State Secretary for Internal Affairs, set up the concrete measures to achieve a sustainable reduction in road accidents and victims by 2010. Quantitatively, the plan aims at halving the number of injuries and deaths by 2010, taking the average of the period of reference 1998-2000 as the departure point.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Portugal:

- the Ministry of Internal Affaires/ Directorate General for Traffic

- the Ministry of Transports and public Works/ Directorate General for Land Transport

- National Council for Road Safety

The National Plan for Road Accident Prevention issued in 2003 sets concrete measures to achieve a sustainable reduction in road accidents and victims. The plan describes the measures to be pursued in the 2003-2010, as well as the action programme for the period 2003-2005.

Quantitatively, the plan aims at halving the number of injuries and fatalities by 2010, taking the average of the period of reference 1998-2000 as the departure point.

The plan identifies three structural priorities, continuous education of road users, road safety environment, legal framework and application.

Significant changes to the Portuguese Road Code were approved in January 2005 and in force from 26 March 2005. These changes are in line with the objectives and programmes established in the National Plan for Road Accident Prevention.

Main changes are related to aggravation of the sanctions, for instance drink-driving, excessive speed infringements, right lane overtaking or the use of seatbelts or child restraint systems. The sanction may include temporary suspension of driving licences.

Changes to the driving licence rules have also been in force since February 2005

Temporary suspension of driving licence and driving disqualification is a competence of the Directorate-General for Traffic. This change aims at simplifying the administrative process associated with the application of sanctions.

The probation period for driving licences has been increased to three years (one year more than in the former rule).

Slovenia

Slovenia adopted in 2002 a four-year road safety plan; its objective is to halve the number of road fatalities by 2010 – with 2000 as base year with 415 fatalities, meaning a target of 210 fatalities in 2010. The Road Safety Plan focuses on three particular areas: Speeding, Alcohol and Protection of vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and children).

Road safety in Slovenia has improved during the last decade, compared to increased traffic volume.

Statistics show that there has been a significant increase in both the number of accidents and the number of injuries from 1991 to 2004. The number of accidents has more than doubled and the number of injuries almost tripled. The number of fatalities has been steadily decreasing since 1994 with an increase in 2004 (+13%) and 2005 (+4%).

Institutions responsible for road safety in Slovenia:

- Ministry of the Interior

- Ministry of Transport

- Ministry of Finances

- Ministry of Education and Health

- Slovene Road Safety Council

A new board of ministries (Interior, Transport, Finance, Education and Health) was set up to address road safety policy. This board is coordinated by the Road Safety Council.

As a part of the road safety policy, 60 % of police traffic surveillance efforts must be made within the main areas (speeding, alcohol and seatbelts). Radars and laser equipment are used for speed measuring. There is an experiment taking place with average speed measuring. According to police estimates, both coercive measures and preventive actions, directed mainly at lowering speed, have had a positive impact on road safety. Regarding alcohol, there are random checks, with such a frequency that drivers have a high expectation of getting caught.

Accident data collection is carried out by the police and all data is available online. There are specific investigation teams for accidents. Risk exposure data is also collected by the police, but there is no national database available yet. Some local data is already available, though.

Slovakia

The first Slovakian national road safety plan was planned to be ready by May 2005. The Slovak Republic became an independent state in 1993 which resulted in major economic changes. These changes resulted in a fast growth of car ownership, road traffic and, as a result, an increase in the number of road traffic accidents.

According to the statistics there was an increase in the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities from 1994 to 1998. From 1998 on, there has been a reduction in the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities.

Institutions responsible for road safety in Slovakia:

- Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Road Safety

- Police Headquarters of the Ministry of Interior

- Traffic Safety Department of the Slovak Road Administration.

The purpose of the establishment of the Council of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Road Safety (CGSRRS) and the measures included in the national plan to increase road safety is the coordination and interaction of entities (authorities) and institutions. The coordination priority is the reduction of the consequences of road accidents.

The objective of the national plan is to increase road safety by contributing to the reduction of the number of road accidents, by actively eliminating their consequences and by improving the collection of statistical data. The objective is similar to the European ambition to reduce the number of fatalities on the roads by 50 % by the year 2010.

The measures proposed in the national plan for road safety are in line with European recommendations. The measures are focusing on:

- preventive measures to reduce the number of road accidents caused by excessive speed and drink-driving

- preventive measures related to use of seatbelts and child restraint systems

- increased activities focusing on measuring speed

- identification of critical localities with high accident rates (black spots)

- improvement of road infrastructure, including that of level (road/rail) crossings and lowering the traffic speed in urbanised areas

- increasing the surveillance of road safety and traffic flow, including the monitoring of the behaviour of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users

- informing the general public and increasing the legal conscience

- improvement of road safety legislation effectiveness, coordination of activities.

Finland

In 1997, the Council of State set a target for the year 2005 to improve road safety continuously, in order to decrease the number of serious injuries as fast as possible. The objective was that the number of fatalities would be under 250 in the year 2005. The Council of State revised the target in 2001. The new objective is that the number of fatalities should be below 250 by 2010.

The annual number of road traffic fatalities in Finland decreased constantly in the early 1990’s until the year 1996. After that, no permanent positive improvements occurred until the year 2003 (379 fatalities), when the number of road traffic fatalities was significantly lower than in the year 1996. This trend continued during the year 2004 (-1%) and 2005 (-3%). The number of fatalities per million inhabitants was 73, lower than EU average.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is responsible for road safety in Finland. The Ministry is advised by a Consultative Committee comprising representatives from:

- all non-transport governmental bodies involved in road safety issues (The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Ministry of the Environment)

- Finnish National Road Administration

- Road safety research community (Technical Research Centre of Finland, University of Tampere, University of Helsinki)

- main road-user organisations (Finnish Transport Workers Union, Central Organisation for Motor Traffic, Confederation of Finnish Industry and Employers)

- Other stakeholders (Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, Central Organisation for Traffic Safety in Finland, Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre).

The National Road Safety Programme for 2001-2005 set a long-term target for the road transport system to facilitate a development towards no fatalities or serious injuries on the road network. The aim of this plan is to create the right conditions for continuous improvement of the transport system, with the target of no more than 100 traffic fatalities per year by 2025.

If the annual reduction in fatalities remains the same in percentage terms, the goal of less than 250 fatalities will almost be achieved by 2010. There is especially much work in long-term priority areas, improving the safety of road infrastructure and increasing the surveillance of traffic.

The main safety issues focused on road users in Finland referred to reduction in the drink-driving, increase of the use of safety equipment and extension of the possibilities for society to intervene in cases when a car driver endangers his own safety or that of other road users. The Finnish Government has proposed alcolock testing to be launched in July 2005 as a test phase, lasting for three years

Sweden

Sweden's overall long-term road safety objective within the road transport system is that ultimately no one should be killed or seriously injured using the road transport system, and that the structure and function of the road transport systems should be brought into line with the demands that this objective entails. The Vision Zero was approved by the Swedish Parliament in 1997, and in 1999 an 11-point programme for improving road safety followed.

Since 1996, the number of fatalities had been steady at around 550. In the two previous years, statistics show a remarkable decrease, by almost 10% in 2004 as well as in 2005.

Institution responsible for road safety in Sweden:

- Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communication (MIEC)

- Swedish National Road Administration (SNRA)

- Road Traffic Safety Inspectorate

- National Society for Road Safety (NTF)

- Group for National Road Safety Cooperation (GNS)

The consequence of Vision Zero is that system designers have obtained greater responsibility for creating a safe road transport system. The Vision Zero also created a new demand for quality assurance systems. In order to increase knowledge about what leads to fatal injuries, the SNRA conducts thorough investigations into all fatal accidents. These investigations are known as in-depth studies and have been standard practice since 1997. In 2003, the SNRA was given the responsibility for coordinating and carrying out in-depth studies of all road traffic accidents.

In 2002, the Swedish Government started a process which would inspire and encourage traffic stakeholders to better co-ordinate their activities for safer use of the road transport system – The National Coalition for Road Safety. The main objective of this initiative is to achieve the goal of reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries by 50 % in the period 2002-2007, compared to the basis year 1996. The main focus areas which have been selected to achieve the goal are improved speed adaptation, reduced drink-driving and children/ young people in traffic.

Annually, approximately 6 000 Swedish drivers lose their licence because of drink-driving, and approximately 25 % of all fatal accidents are related to drink-driving. An experiment with alcohol locks started in 1999. The trial was directed at people with suspended driving licences. The use of alcohol locks provided a possibility to regain the driving licence under certain circumstances, and in 2003 the experiment was expanded to include the whole country. In 2004, approximately 1.56 million breath tests were undertaken by the Police. The future goal is to check 2 million drivers in 2007.

United Kingdom

There are two separate road safety strategies in the UK: The programme “Tomorrow's Roads – Safer for Everyone” covers Great Britain (i.e. England, Scotland and Wales), whilst there is a separate strategy for Northern Ireland.

Since 1995, the number of fatalities in the UK had been stable till 2004. In 2004, statistics show a decrease of 8% compare to 2004 and the trend continues in 2005.

Institutions responsible for road safety in the UK:

- Department for Transport

- Highways Agency

- Scottish Executive

- Welsh Assembly

- Northern Ireland Assembly

- Road Safety Advisory Panel

- Agencies

- Police

In Northern Ireland the Department of the Environment has the overall lead in implementing the road safety strategy.

In 2000, the Prime Minister launched the Road Safety Strategy “Tomorrow's Roads – Safer for Everyone”, which set out the Government's framework for improving road safety in Great Britain. By 2010, compared with the baseline average for 1994-98, the aim is to achieve:

- a 40 % reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents

- a 50 % reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured in road accidents

- a 10 % reduction in the slight casualty rate, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres.

The UK government put particular attention to children safety. A Child Safety Action Plan was published in 2002. It presents a range of on-going projects and research that will help to improve road safety.

As for road users, the UK concentrates on training and testing. The British authorities focus also on issues such as alcohol, drugs and drowsiness. As far as road infrastructure is concerned, the priority is given to investments in the existing highway network.

3 Legislation and other texts adopted since 1 st January 2001 Situation as of 1 st January 2006

Enforcement of rules in the field of road safety

Commission Recommendation 2004/345/EC of 6 April 2004 on enforcement in the field of road safety, OJ L 111, 17/04/2004, p. 75 and corrigendum, OJ L 120, 24/4/2004, p. 65; Communication of the Commission, OJ C 93, 17/4/2004, p. 5

Council Framework Decision 2005/214/JHA of 24 February 2005 on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to financial penalties , OJ L 76, 22/3/2005, p.16

Alcohol, drugs and medicines

Commission Recommendation 2001/116/EC of 17 January 2001 on the maximum permitted blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers of motorised vehicles, OJ L 43, 14/02/2001, p.31; Communication of the Commission, OJ C 48, 14/02/2001, p.2

Council Resolution of 27 November 2003 on combating the impact of psychoactive substances use on road accidents, OJ C 97, 22/04/2004, p. 1

Driving licences

Commission Decision 2002/256/EC of 25 March 2002 rectifying Decision 2000/275/EC on equivalences between certain categories of driving licences, OJ L 87, 04/04/2002, p. 57

Commission interpretative communication on Community driver licensing, OJ C 77, 28/3/2002, p.5

Proposal for a Directive EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on driving licences (Recasting), COM(2003)621, 21/10/2003 not published in OJ; inter-institutional negotiations take place.

Vehicles - approval

Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, COM(2003)418, 14/7/2003 not published in OJ; amended proposal, COM(2004)738, 29/10/2004 not published in OJ; inter-institutional negotiations take place.

Vehicles - registration

Commission Directive 2003/127/EC of 23 December 2003 amending Council Directive 1999/37/EC on the registration documents for vehicles, OJ L 10, 16/01/2004, p.29

Vehicles - roadworthiness ans other technical issues

Commission Directive 2001/9/EC of 12 February 2001 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 96/96/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers, OJ L 48, 17/02/2001, p.18

Commission Directive 2001/11/EC of 14 February 2001 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 96/96/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers - functional testing of commercial vehicles' speed limitation device, OJ L 48, 17/02/2001, p. 20

Commission Regulation (EC) 1360/2002 of 13 June 2002 adapting for the technical progress Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport, OJ L 207, 05/08/2002 p. 1 (Annex 1B : technical specifications concerning digital tachographs) ; corrigendum, OJ L 77, 13/03/2004, p. 71

Commission Regulation (EC) 432/2004 of 5 March 2004 adapting for the eighth time to technical progress Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 of 20 December 1985 on recording equipment in road transport, OJ L 71, 10/03/2004, p. 3

Weights and dimensions

Directive 2002/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 February 2002 amending Council Directive 96/53/EC laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic, OJ L 67, 09/03/2002, p. 47

Transport of dangerous goods

Commission Directive 2001/7/EC of 29 January 2001 adapting for the third time to technical progress Council Directive 94/55/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by road, OJ L 30, 01/02/2001, p. 43

Annexes A and B to Council Directive 94/55/EC as announced in Commission Directive 2001/7/EC adapting for the third time to technical progress Council Directive 94/55/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by road, OJ L 18, 26/01/2004, p.1

Directive 2001/26/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 May 2001 amending Council Directive 95/50/EC on uniform procedures for checks on the transport of dangerous goods by road, OJ L 168, 23/06/2001, p. 23

Commission Decision 2002/886/EC of 7 November 2002 amending Council Directive 94/55/EC as regards the time-limits within which pressure drums, cylinder racks and tanks for the transport of dangerous goods by road must comply with it, OJ L 308, 09/11/2002, p. 45

Commission Directive 2003/28/EC of 7 April 2003 adapting for the fourth time to technical progress Council Directive 94/55/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by road, OJ L 90, 08/04/2003, p. 45

Commission Directive 2004/111/EC of 9 December 2004 adapting for the fifth time to technical progress Council Directive 94/55/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by road, OJ L 365, 10/12/2004, p. 25

Safety of road tunnels

Directive 2004/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on minimum safety requirements for tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network, OJ L 167, 30/04/2004 p. 39 and corrigendum OJ L 201, 07/06/2004, p. 56

Seat belts

Directive 2003/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 April 2003 amending Council Directive 91/671/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to compulsory use of safety belts in vehicles of less than 3,5 tonnes, OJ L 115, 09/05/2003, p. 63 [the new Directive shall apply to all motor vehicles in categories M1, M2, M3, N1, N2 and N3 intended for use on the road, having at least four wheels and a maximum design speed exceeding 25 km/h]

Directives 2005/39/EC, 2005/40/EC and 2005/41/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 amending Council Directive 74/408/EEC (seats, anchorages and head restraints), Council Directive 77/541/EEC (safety belts and restraint systems), Council Directive 76/115/EEC (anchorages), OJ L 255, 30/09/2005, p. 143, 146 and 149

Front protection of vulnerable users

Directive 2003/102/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 relating to the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users before and in the event of a collision with a motor vehicle and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC, OJ L 321, 06/12/2003, p. 15

Commission Decision 2004/90/EC of 23 December 2003 on the technical prescriptions for the implementation of Article 3 of Directive 2003/102/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users before and in the event of a collision with a motor vehicle and amending Directive 70/156/EEC, OJ L 31, 04/02/2004, p. 21

Directive 2005/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2005 relating to the use of frontal protection systems on motor vehicles and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC, OJ L 309, 25/11/2005, p. 37

Blind angle mirrors

Directive 2003/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 November 2003 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of devices for indirect vision and of vehicles equipped with these devices, amending Directive 70/156/EEC and repealing Directive 71/127/EEC, OJ L 25, 29/01/2004, p. 1

Commission Directive 2005/27/EC of 29 March 2005 amending, for the purposes of its adaptation to technical progress, Directive 2003/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, concerning the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of devices for indirect vision and of vehicles equipped with these devices, OJ L 81, 30/03/2005, p.44

Professional drivers - training

Directive 2003/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2003 on the initial qualification and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the carriage of goods or passengers, amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85 and Council Directive 91/439/EEC and repealing Council Directive 76/914/EEC, OJ L 226, 10/09/2003, p.4

Professional drivers - working conditions

Directive 2002/15/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2002 on the organisation of the working time of persons performing mobile road transport activities, OJ L 80, 23/02/2002, p.35

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport, COM(2001)573 final, 12/10/2001, OJ C 51, 26/2/2002, p.234; proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum conditions for the implementation of Directive 2002/15/EC and Council Regulations (EEC) 3820/85 and 3821/85 concerning social legislation relating to road transport activities, COM(2003)628 final, 21/10/2003 not published in OJ; inter-institutional agreement (European Parliament – Council) of 6/12/2005

Third countries drivers attestation

Regulation (EC) No 484/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 1 March 2002 amending Council Regulations (EEC) No 881/92 and (EEC) No 3118/93 for the purposes of establishing a driver attestation, OJ L 76, 19/03/2002, p.1

Speed limitation devices

Directive 2002/85/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 November 2002 amending Council Directive 92/6/EEC on the installation and use of speed limitation devices for certain categories of motor vehicles in the Community, OJ L 327, 04/12/2002, p. 8

Commission Directive 2003/26/EC of 3 April 2003 adapting to technical progress Directive 2000/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards speed limiters and exhaust emissions of commercial vehicles, OJ L 90, 08/04/2003, p. 37

Emergency calls

Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service Directive), OJ L 108, 24/04/2002, p. 51

Commission Recommendation 2003/558/EC of 25 July 2003 on the processing of caller location information in electronic communication networks for the purpose of location-enhanced emergency call services, OJ L 189, 29/07/2003, p.49

Accident investigations

Commission Decision 2003/425/EC of 11 June 2003 setting up a group of experts to advise the Commission on a strategy for dealing with accidents in the transport sector, OJ L 144, 12/6/2003, p.10

Appointment of members of the Group, OJ C 180, 13/07/2004, p.11

4 Selection of projects and studies carried out with support from the Commission since 2001

- Evaluation and analysis of national policies

- SUNflower (comparative study of the road safety situation in Sweden, United Kingdom and the Netherlands)

- SUNflower+6 (update of the study above and extension to six more Member States: Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Portugal and Slovenia)

- SEC-belt (South, East and Centre of Europe)

- Comparison of traffic rules in the EU15 Member States

- Ensuring that the offenders are prosecuted

- FAIR (Fully Automated Integrated Road control)

- VERA (Video Enforcement for Road Authorities)

- TISPOL (European Traffic Police network)

- RESPER ( rés eau de per mis de conduire , exchange of information on driving licences in the European Union)

- REGNET (Vehicle Reg ister Ne twork, exchange of information on registration of cars)

- Alcohol, drugs and medicines

- ROSITA (road side testing assessment , tracing of drugs consumption in the saliva)

- DRUID ( driving under the influence of drugs , epidemiologic studies, checks, sanctions, rehabilitation of drivers, information of physicians and of the public).

- Passive safety of vehicles

- EuroNCAP (evaluation programme about the protection of drivers and passengers of new models of vehicles)

- APSN (network of excellence gathering the main European stakeholders working on passive safety in vehicles)

- WHIPLASH II (Development of new design and test methods for whiplash protection in vehicle collisions)

- ECBOS (Bus safety)

- ROLLOVER (Improvement of rollover safety for passenger vehicles)

- ADVANCE (Advanced virtual analysis of crash environment)

- VITES (Virtual testing for extended vehicle passive safety)

- SIBER (Side impact dummy biomechanics and experimental research)

- APROSYS (development of performing techniques for improving the passive safety in vehicles)

- VC-COMPAT (setting up of procedures for testing the crash compatibility between various types of vehicles)

- CHILD (children safety in cars and setting up of more effective restraint systems)

- HUMOS2 (simulation of the human body with a view to replacing the full size crash tests)

- PENDANT (road accident trauma data base)

- SAFETY NET (data bases on fatal accidents and accident causation)

- Active safety of vehicles, possibly including an interface with the infrastructure

- PREVENT (preventive and active safety applications)

- PROSPER (project for research on speed adaptation policies on European roads)

- SPEEDALERT (harmonising the in-vehicle speed alert concept definition)

- HASTE (human machine interface and traffic safety in Europe)

- HUMANIST (human centred design for Information Society Technologies)

- AIDE (adaptive integrated driver-vehicle interface)

- GST (Global Systems for Telematic)

- EUCLIDE (Enhanced Human Machine Interface for on vehicle integrated driving support system)

- PRISM (Reduction of car crash injuries through improved smart restraint systems)

- ROADSENSE (Road Awareness for Driving via a Strategy that Evaluates Numerous SystEm)

- Infrastructure safety

- ROSEBUD ( Road safety and environmental benefit-cost and cost effectiveness analysis for use in decision making , impact assessment of the systematic consideration by all Member States of road safety at all stages, from programming and design until the infrastructure management)

- EuroRAP (European road assessment programme) & EuroTAP (European tunnels assessment programme)

- RIPCORD-ISEREST (Road Infrastructure Safety Protection - Core-Research and Development for Road Safety in Europe; Increasing safety and reliability of secondary roads for a sustainable Surface Transport, interaction with the vehicle)

- IN-SAFETY (infrastructure and safety , interaction with the vehicle)

- Children and teen-agers

- EUCHIRES (campaign on the seat belt & restraint systems wearing by young passengers in ten Member States)

- Red Cross road safety campaigns

- ROSE-25 (good practices in education)

- Youth on the Road (Internet portal)

- Young adults

- EuroBob (campaign of the designated driver – the one who brings the others back after the party)

- NESA ( N uit E uropéenne S ans A ccident , a Saturday in mid October each year, awareness raising of young people about the danger of driving under influence).

- NOV-EV (evaluation of novice driver training schemes in six EU Member States, training)

- TEST (evaluation of driving tests , training)

- MERIT (minimum requirements for driving instructors , analysis of initial and continued training)

- Seniors

- AGILE (aged people integration, mobility, safety and quality of life enhancement through driving, guidelines for the prolongation of safe driving)

- Cyclists and pedestrians

- VOICE ( the voice of vulnerable users )

- Multi offenders

- ANDREA (analysis of driver rehabilitation programmes)

- Handicapped persons

- QUAVADIS (q uality and use aspects of vehicle adaptations for disabled, disseminating and sharing information on vehicles adaptation)

- Road accident data collection

- CARE (Community database on accidents on the roads in Europe)

- SAFETY NET (extension to the new Member States, to Norway & Switzerland ; risk exposure data ; performance indicators ; statistical annual reports and basic fact sheets)

- ASTERYX ( assessing the European road safety problem – study on the use of CARE)

- STAIRS ( standardisation of accident and injury registration systems )

- PENDANT ( pan-European co-ordinated accident and injury database – including a publicly available data base on crash tests)

- MAIDS (motorcycle accidents in depth study)

- ETAC (European truck accident causation study)

- TRACE (TRaffic Accident Causation in Europe)

5 Examples of commitments within the framework of the European road safety Charter

Examples of Charter commitments

The primary objective of the Charter is to make road safety a mobilising issue for civil society. All groups of civil society are invited to contribute to the common target of halving the number of road fatalities.

The commitments last three years, they should be concrete and measurable, and the results will be monitored: the Commission will ask signatories to provide a short mid-term report and a final report on the progress of their commitment. They are invited to report on both good and bad experiences so that others may learn from these experiences.

The commitments and the reports are published on the Charter website, and everybody is invited to seek for inspiration how their associations, cities, companies, unions, schools etc. can contribute to safer roads in Europe.

City

Cities, municipalities and regions are local stakeholders who have an integrated approach to road safety. They can set targets, influence driver behaviour, they have their own vehicle fleets and they are infrastructure providers. Most cities signing the Charter have committed to develop and implement integrated Road Safety Action Plans with concrete and measurable targets, e.g. -40% of the number of serious injured and deaths by 2010. They also give concrete sub-targets or focus on a certain issue, e.g. 60% of schools in the City will have a School Safe Travel Plan in place by 2007 or the truck fleet will be equipped with mirrors covering the so-called blind spot. Within their commitment, they announce particular actions, e.g. speed controls nearby schools followed by interviews of the drivers by pupils.

Professional transport company

The service provided by the professional transport sector is transport of persons and goods. Road safety is an integral part of the quality of this service. Therefore, it would make sense to implement road safety in the quality management systems of professional transport companies. Implementing road safety aspects in existing quality management systems would give rise to self-regulation schemes which might – in the long term – be able to supplement or partly substitute enforcement and inspection through public authorities. In this context, the commitment of an association of haulage companies to operate 75% of their members’ vehicle fleet under road safety management schemes by 2007 is a great step to safer roads. This is also the case for a transport company that signed up with a commitment of internally enforcing seat-belt wearing, a blood alcohol limit of 0.0, the use of daytime running lights and the non-use of mobile phone when driving. In addition, they will train their staff according to the Behaviour Bases Safety (BBS) scheme.

Road infrastructure provider

Infrastructure is one of the three pillars of road safety initiatives (the others being user behaviour and vehicle technology). Infrastructure providers are crucial partners in the endeavour to reach the target of halving the number of road fatalities. The European tolled motorways operators are providing harmonised statistical data on road accidents on their network in order to learn from good practices. They are making out of road safety a primary topic through conferences, guidelines and brochures. In 2004 and 2005, they fulfilled the part of their commitment to inform road users about road safety and the Charter campaign by distributing almost 6 million leaflets to the road users during the summer holiday season.

Motorcycling Club

Private associations and clubs can make a change since road safety is eventually a civil society issue. A motorcycling club committed to organise additional safety training courses for up to 240 of their members per year. Signing the Charter is indeed a great opportunity to make road safety an issue in any kind of club or association.

Vehicle manufacturer

The enormous progress in vehicle safety technology in the past is one of the main contributing factors to the substantial reduction in the number of road fatalities. In this context, the commitment of the European motorcycle manufacturers to offer advanced braking systems for at least 50% of their new models is a major step forward (in 2004, less than 5% of the models could be ordered with such systems). Advanced braking systems, e.g. ABS, for motorcycles can have a major impact on motorcycle riders’ safety. In the past, these systems were considered to deprive motorcycling of its sportive character. This lead to a vicious circle in which the industry justified the absence of advanced braking systems with the lack of demand by the consumer, whereas consumers regretted not to be able to buy their motorcycle equipped with an advanced braking system. The motorcycle industry has now begun to break up this circle.

Insurer

Insurances may play a major role to improve driver behaviour by giving incentives to drivers who follow safety courses or buy particularly safe cars. An insurer signed up to the Charter with a commitment to sponsor defensive driving courses for novice drivers. Successful participation to such a course entitles participants to a reduction of their insurance premium. The insurer will offer this course to some thousands of novice drivers.