EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Brussels, 20.7.2010 
SEC(2010) 903 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
  
(1) Synthesis of the ex-post evaluation of the European Road Safety Action 
Program 2001 – 2010 
(2) Public consultation on the policy or ientations on r oad safety 2011-2020 
Accompanying document to the 
  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE CO MMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMI TTEE OF THE REGIONS 
 
Towards a European road safety area: poli cy orientations on road safety 2011-2020 
  
{COM(2010) 389 final} 
EN 2   EN Foreword 
In assessing future possible orientations of  the common road transport safety policy, the 
Commission has taken two main el ements into consideration: 
1) The results of the road safety actio n programme 2001-2010, which included a list of 
62 concrete measures, reflected in of this document 
2) The outcome of a wide stakeholder cons ultation process, aimed at identifying the 
challenges for road safety in the years to come and the best way to address them, contained in Chapter 2 of this document. 
The present document is co mposed of two parts.  
Chapter 1  provides an assessment of the results of each of the 62 measures described in the 
European road safety action programme 2001-2010, giving information on the following 
aspects for each measure:  
– the specific topi c of the measure 
– the type of impact: direct or indirect 
– the contribution of the measure to road  safety: high, medium or low results 
– the consistency of the meas ure with other measures 
– a description of what remains to  be done in the new programme. 
Chapter 2  of the document is related to the outcome of the stakeholders' consultation. This 
important step enabled the Commission to identify  the problems or issues to be addressed in 
the next decade, some of which corresponding to new or expected future developments not known at the time of drafting the ro ad safety action programme 2001-2010. 
Finally, an Annex provides deta iled figures, extracted from the CARE European Database on 
accidents, which illustrates the quantitative re sults obtained by Member States and their 
comparison with the target of reducing by half the number of road fatalities given in the 
action programme 2001-2010. 
EN 3   EN 1. SYNTHESIS OF THE EX -POST EVALUATION OF THE EUROPEAN ROAD SAFETY 
ACTION PROGRAM 2001  – 2010 
1.1. Sixty-two measures in the field of road safety1 
The European Road Safety Action Program me 2001-2010 (hereafter: RSAP) contained 62 
concrete measures beneficial for road safety  which needed to be implemented. This Action 
Programme has been launched by the Europ ean Commission in 2003 through the adoption of 
the Communication "European Road Safety Ac tion Programme. Halving the number of road 
accident victims in the European Union by 2010 (from 2001): a shared responsibility"2. The 
RSAP covered three fields of action: 
Road users behaviour, dealing with a co mbination of training, campaigns, and law-
enforcement measures Passive and active safety of vehicles Management of road infrastructure safety  
An ex-post evaluation has been undertaken in or der to analyse the leve l of implementation 
and the impacts of each of the 62 measures across the EU Member States.
3 Criteria applied for 
measuring the impacts of the measures were: effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, consistency and the effects from non-implemen tation. The expected reduction of the number 
of fatalities resulting from individual measures has been given where po ssible, thus relating 
them directly with the objective of the RSAP , consisting in halvi ng the number of road 
victims by 2010. The ex-post evaluation wants to provide a good understanding of the effects 
of the measures covered by the current RSAP . Taking into account whether measures from 
the RSAP have been implemented fully, partially or not at all, and what their impacts on road 
safety have been so far, is necessary for correctly  dealing with road safety issues in the future. 
Therefore, the results of this evaluation have be en taken into account in the preparation of the 
Commission Communication "Towards a European road safety area: policy orientations on 
road safety 2011-2020". 
1.2. Main characteristics of road fatalities in the EU 
It is useful to have an overview of the main risk areas in road traffic. The distribution of 
fatalities in terms of type of road users, ge nder, age group, transport mode and type of road 
looks as follows
4: 
People involved: 80% vehicle occupants (60% drivers a nd 20% passengers); and 20% 
pedestrians. → this suggest the importance of im plementing passive safety measures; 
Gender: men represent 76% , while women only 24%; 
Age category affected: most affected group (56 %) is between 25 and 64 years old (this age 
group represents 55% of the to tal population); the group with th e highest risk consists of 
young people between 15 and 24 years old, which represent 13% of the total population, but 
the fatality rate in this group is 21%. 
                                                 
1 See list with the 62 measures in Annex. 
2 COM(2003) 311. 
3 The report "Ex-post Evaluation of the RSAP" has been prepared for the Commission by the consultant 
TRT (Trasporti e Territorio).  
4 Most of these data are from 2007; some sub- elements of these data refer to earlier years. 
EN 4   EN Transport mode: passengers cars  and taxis represent 49%, whereas pedestrians and cyclists 
(the so-called vulnerable road users) repres ent 25% and powered-two-  wheelers (hereafter: 
PTWs), namely motorcycles and mopeds, represent 19%. Type of road: rural roads 55%, ur ban roads 36%, and motorways 6%. 
It should be noted that an exhaustive quantitativ e ex-post evaluation is not always possible for 
each measure for different reasons. Firstly becaus e the impact of measures could be indirect 
and therefore not computable in terms of road fatalities (e.g. fo r research activ ities); secondly, 
since some of the measures have effect s only after the period 2001-2010 covered by the 
analysis and thirdly because there could be significant data limitations that make an 
evaluation impossible although the measure has direct impact on road safety.  
Measures have been evaluated not only individua lly, but also at aggregate level. The measures 
that share the same specific objective were grou ped in order to avoid any duplication of the 
analysis and to take into account synergies a nd combined impacts of the different actions. 
1.3. Ex-post evaluation of the sixt y-two measures of the RSAP 
Measures 1-62
:5 the 62 measures cover the three fields of actions: road users' behaviour, 
vehicle safety, and road infrastructure , and are grouped into the following main domains:  
Generals  (measures 1-7)6; 
Users' Behaviour  (measures 8-13), divided in Enforcement  (measures 8, 9, 13) and Awareness 
Campaigns  (measures 10, 11); 
Driving Licence  and Training  (measures 14-17); 
Passive Vehicle Safety  (measures 18-28); 
Active Safety of Vehicles  (measures 29-40); 
Infrastructure  (measures 41-47); 
Professional Drivers  (measures 48-56); 
Accidentology  (measures 57-62). 
Different measures dealing with the same  specific subject, which sometimes belongs to 
different 'main domains', are:  
measures 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7, dealing with Monitoring and Evaluation   
measures 4, 6 and 20 dealing with  Building Stakeholders' Commitment  
measures 12, 33 and 49, dealing with Impaired Driving   
measures 18 and 35, dealing with Power-two wheels 
measures 19 and 23, dealing with Vulnerable Road Users 
measures 21, 22, 24, 25 and 55, dealing with Vehicle Occupants' Protection 
measures 26, 27 and 28, dealing with Vehicle Crash Compatibility   
measures 48, 50, 51, 52-54 and 56, dealing with Professional drivers 
measures 57 and 58, dealing with Post-crash medical care   
measures 59, 60, 61 and 62, dealing with Statistical Data . 
State of implementation of the measures 
                                                 
5 Each measure is referred to by the number it has on the list in annex. Relevant information on each 
measure is given in the other columns of this list.  
6 Although these measures are of gr eat importance with a view to improving road safety, their impact is 
indirect and of a general nature, and therefore it is not possible to give a quantification of the number of 
lives that can be saved by each of these measures.  
EN 5   EN During the period of the current RSAP, 17 measures out of 62 will have been completed, 
which is 27.5% of all the measures7. In terms of state of implem entation, 23% of the measures 
are evaluated as 'high', 65% as 'medium' and the remaining 12% as 'low'. The largest number of completed measures can be  found in the categor y "professional drivers", whereas none of 
the measures in the field of passive vehicle safety has been completed so far. 
It is important to underline that each measure, ev en if it is completed, has to be monitored. Its 
effects and usefulness, also in combination with other relevant  measures, will have to be 
assessed through an ex-post analysis
8.  
It has to be noted that the impact of the measures in the main domain Generals , which  are 
divided into the domains: monitoring and eval uation, and building stakeholders' commitment, 
is indirect and of a general na ture, and therefore it is not possi ble to give a quantification of 
the number of lives that can be saved by each of  these measures. However, they are important 
instruments with a view to improving road safety. 
As a last general remark, it has to  be assured that, to the extent that measures will involve the 
processing of personal data, the provisions of either Regulation 45/2001 or Directive 
95/46/EC will apply, depending on the data controller.  
Measure 1  
Halving the number of road deaths by 2010 is the overall objective of the RSAP. The 
number of road fatalities in 2001 was about 54.000, and the target was to reach the number of 
27.000 fatalities in 2010. The actual number of road fatalities  in 2009 is about 35.500, which 
is a reduction of 35% since 2001; the expecta tion is that in 2010, the reduction in fatalities 
will reach – 41%. This means that the target of  a reduction of 50% will not be achieved and 
that there may be about 8.500 more fatalities in 2010 than the target number. However, the 
RSAP did have a positive impact on road safety and resulted in a decrease of road fatalities. 
The following factors also have to  be taken into account in this context. In the first place, 
mobility has considerably grown in the period covered by the action plan. Secondly, the scope 
of the RSAP has become much wider with th e accession of new Member States (EU12) later 
on, and these Member States had – and still have – in general wo rse road safety results than 
the existing Member States (EU15): whereas the average reduction in road fatalities in 2008 
was -36.8% in the EU15, it wa s - 4.2% in the EU12. Fortunately, the performance of the 
EU12 is rapidly improving: average reduction expected in 2009 is: - 40.8% for EU15 and -
6.8% for EU12. Thirdly, the redu ction in road deaths ( ↓ 28%) has been higher than the 
reduction in road accidents and injuries ( ↓ 14.6% and ↓ 17.6%), which shows that the 
consequences of accidents have in general become less serious.  
The total social cost due to road crashes is estimated to be around 140.8 billion Euro over 
2008 (59.4 billion Euro for road fatalities and 81.4 billion Euro for road injuries and accidents)
9. 
                                                 
7 The completed measures are: n° 3, 7, 9, 14, 15, 30, 31, 41, 48, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58 and 62. 
8 Relevant combinations of measures are for instance measures 14 and 15, 30 and 31; 41 and 42; 48, 49 
and 50; 53 and 54).  
9 The social cost has been calculated accordantly to the HEATCO study (2006) based on the value of 
statistical life. Weighting at population share the HEATCO values of casua lties for the different EU27 
countries, the value for statistical life equals to 1.525.112 Euro in 2008. With regard to a serious injury 
the value is 204.465 Euro.  
EN 6   EN The evaluation of the impacts of  the RSAP does not explicitly take into acc ount autonomous 
national initiatives. Considering the overall re duction of deaths recorded in the period 2001-
2008, the contribution of the RSAP is about 30% of  the difference between the situation at the 
beginning of the period concerne d and the actual number of road  fatalities at the end of the 
period. The remaining about 70% of lives saved ha s to be attributed to other impacts, for 
example, technical developments and actions  undertaken by Member States during this 
period. With regard to the performance by the Me mber States, most old Member States are in 
general almost in line with the RSAP target, whereas the new Member States are in a more 
critical situation which requires special attention in the coming years. Estimations show a converging process in performances between  the new Member States, and after their 
accession to the European Union and the subsequent application of the RSAP measures by them, road safety has been improving at a faster  pace in these Member States. Over the year 
2009, several new Member States have achieved la rge reductions in fata lities. For instance, 
the Baltic countries have approx imately halved the number of fa talities. Looking at trends of 
fatalities, injuries, accidents, ve hicles and density of traffic pe r km, it appears that despite a 
growth in mobility, the impact of road accident s on human lives has been decreasing over the 
last years. However, the reduction in the numbers  of accidents and injuries is less than the 
reduction in fatalities and th ere is a strong and steady co rrelation between these two. 
Therefore, more attention will have to be paid to this issue in future. In the first place, a 
common and generally accepted defini tion of 'serious injury', which does currently not exist, 
will have to be applied by all the Memb er States as a matter of priority.  
Specific topic : Monitoring and evaluation   
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: high results 
Measure 2
  
Evaluate the progress made, compared with  the target, by means of appropriate 
performance indicators at Community and national levels.   
The research and the analysis carried out in th e framework of the Safety Net project have been 
the basis not only for the development of the European Road Safety Observatory, aimed at the gathering of data and knowledge to inform fu ture safety policies a nd enabling to monitor 
progress, identify best practices and ensure evaluation, but also for the establishment of a set 
of European indicators. Without indicato rs, policy development, implementation and 
assessment is not possible. 
Specific topic : monitoring and evaluation  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: high results . 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the evaluation exercise needs to be 
continued. Member States should be encour aged to improve their data collection. 
Measure 3
 
Provide a report in 2005 on monitoring of the target, action carried out and modifications 
needed as a result of enlargement an d, where appropriate, propose new measures.  
Two EC official documents have been published on 22 February 2006: 
- a mid-term review, as announced in th e RSAP 2001-2010 (Communication COM(2006)74 
final);  
- a document supporting the Communication, which in cludes relevant statistics, an overview 
of the legislation, projects and studies im plemented and the commitments taken in the 
framework of the European road safety Charter.  
Specific topic : monitoring and evaluation.  
EN 7   EN Type of impact: indirect 
Description of the impact: support action for policy assessment and development.  
Contribution to road safety: medium results . 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the new ERSAP should contain an 
analogous mid-term evaluation.  
Measure 4   
Invite all parties con cerned to sign a European Road Safety Charter 
This measure is a good example of the application of the principle of 's hared responsibility'. 
So far, there are 1796 Charter signatories' com mitments for carrying out concrete actions to 
contribute to improving road safety. 
Specific topic: Building stakeholders' commitment  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results . 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the Commission should continue to support 
the European Road Safety Charter to enable future progress to be made, encouraging the self-evaluation of the single commitments undertaken by the part of the privat e actors according to 
harmonised criteria. Moreover the signatories of the Charter should be organised in permanent 
forums as to, e.g., exchange good practices. 
Measure 5
  
Propose the introduction of harmonised road safety  criteria in public service contracts.  
The purpose of this measure is to incorporate road safety requirements and in particular 
harmonised road safety criteria in the public procurement process. This would apply, for 
instance, to the purchase of vehicles by public authorities or to the provision of transport 
services. Examples of such scheme could be: making the purchase of EuroNCAP 5-star 
vehicles mandatory; purchasing collective transpor t means with specific active safety devices 
(for example school buses provided with eCall, alcoholocks, etc.). 
This concept is applied by Annex II of the Directive 2008/96/EC on Road Infrastructure 
Safety Management, which defines the criteria to  be met by Member States when carrying out 
a road safety impact assessment (article 3.2) or a road safety audit (article 4.2). This directive 
enters into force by December 2010. By 19 De cember 2011, Member States have to adopt 
guidelines for applying the safety procedures set out in the Directive. The Directive is 
applicable to projects of the trans-European  road network and proj ects carried out by the 
European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Eu ropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 
Specific topic: Monitoring and evaluation  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results  
Consistency with other measures: this measure is closely linked with all the actions relating 
to road infrastructure safety management. In particular, it is linked w ith the aim of Measure 
44 on assessing the safety impact of projects receiving Community funding. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): an evaluation of th e impacts should be 
carried out once the Directive on Road  Infrastructure Safety Management  is regularly 
implemented. Measure 6
:  
Study, together with the European haulage in dustry, on possible additional measures which 
insurers could take to pass the cost of accident risks on more directly .  
Internalising costs involved in accidents, for instance by the applicatio n of the "bonus-malus" 
system in insurance, contributes to motivating professional drivers to drive carefully.  In support of the preparation of the European Road Safe ty Action Programme 2011-2020, a 
seminar on the internalisation of  social costs was held in Bruxelles on the 7th of September 
EN 8   EN 2009. The title of the workshop was "Road safety economics: internalising external costs; 
promoting economic incentives, building cases for investment". 
Specific topic: Building stakeholders' commitment 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures:  with all other measures aimi ng at improving road user's  
behaviour. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): further studies should be made, together 
with insurance companies, to understand whethe r it is worthwhile to switch to pay as-you-
drive schemes, providing optimal incentives at th e margin, or if the co sts of introducing such 
schemes do not weigh up against averaging. A re search on the best practices in the insurance 
system and their impacts on road  safety could be carried out. 
Measure 7
  
Set up a European Road Safety Observatorium within the Commission. 
The European Road Safety Observatory (ERSO) was set up in the framework of the 
SafetyNet project. (see Meas ure 2). It aims to support the actions of policy makers, 
researchers and road safety advisors. 
Specific topic:  Monitoring and evaluation 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: relevant for the other measures, since it provides a means 
of gathering information which is relevant for the accomplishment of concrete road safety measures. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): further developing of the European Road 
Safety Observatory.  
Measure 8
  
Propose measures to strengthen checks and en sure the proper enfo rcement of the most 
important safety rules. 
After analysing the results of the FWP4 resear ch project ESCAPE (2002) and carrying out an 
extensive legal study on the traffi c rules and enforcement practices  in the fields of speeding, 
drink-driving and seat belt us e in the EU15 Member States and an economic study on costs 
and benefits of improvements in enforcem ent, the European Commission published the 
Recommendation 2004/345/EC on enforcement in th e field of road safety, which invites 
Member States to set up a national enforcemen t plan in road safety, ensure the use of 
automated speed enforcement equipment and the application of random breath testing for the 
surveillance of drink-driving and to carry out intensive enforcement actions on the non-use of 
seat belts; to combine the enforcement actions with publicity campaigns and to apply 
effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanction s and/or remedial measures for speeding, 
drink-driving and non-use of seat belts, and to  designate an enforcem ent coordination point 
for the exchange of best enforcement practices. The issue of cross-border enforcement  has also been addresse d. Enforcement technologies 
and procedures vary among Member States an d make mutual recognition of enforcement 
actions and cooperation between Members diffi cult. For example, sanctions for traffic 
offences can be either criminal or administra tive in different Member States, which results 
also in considerable differences in drivers'  perceptions. The Commission examined the legal 
basis for cross-border enforcement through the pr oject VERA 2 (Cross-border enforcement of 
road traffic violations). The project CAPTIVE (Common Appli cation of Traffic Violations 
Enforcement) identified the steps to impl ement a European approach to cross-border 
enforcement. The results of these projects provi ded the basis for the Proposal for Directive on 
cross-border enforcement COM(2008) 151, adopted on 19 March 2008. The document sets out proposals aimed at securing more efficient and more effective enforcement of traffic 
EN 9   EN offences committed in another Member State th an where the offenders' car is registered. 
Considering that non-resident drivers are relativ ely more involved in offences than resident 
drivers (for example, non-resi dent drivers represent around 15% of all speeding offenders, 
whereas they represent only the 5% of the road tr affic), the proposal contai ns provisions of an 
administrative nature for putting in place an effective system of cross-border enforcement of 
the main road traffic offences: speeding, drink- driving, non-use of seat belts and failing to 
stop at a red traffic light. According to the propos al, Member States will have two years to set 
up the data exchange system and start operati ng it. No harmonisation of traffic rules or 
penalties is included. The proposal is currently being discussed in the European Parliament 
and the Council. Stakeholders acknowledge th at enforcement is a key factor for a 
considerable reduction in deaths and injuries, especially when intensively applied and widely 
published. Therefore, measures on enforcement will also be included in the new ERSAP, 
particularly with respect to cross-bor der enforcement of traffic offences. 
Specific topic: Enforcement  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: high results 
Consistency with other measures: an effective and efficient en forcement is crucial for the 
implementation of the legislative framework for road safety and for having a positive impact 
on road users’ behaviour. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): cross-border enforcement needs to be 
effectively implemented. Checks ne ed to be further strengthened. 
Measure 9
  
Develop best practice guidelines as regards police checks  
The FWP6 project PEPPER (Police Enfor cement Policy and Programmes on European 
Roads) was carried out from 2006 – 2008. The obj ective of the project was to enhance the 
effectiveness and efficiency of police enforc ement of road traffic. The project looked 
critically at all releva nt aspects of enforcement, such as target behaviours, the detection of 
infringements, administrative and legal handlin g after infringement, decisions concerning the 
volume, location and timing of enforcement, e ffects of enforcement on road user behaviour 
and accidents, enforcement methods and tool s, collection of enforcement data, and 
enforcement in the social context. Speeding,  drink driving and use of seat belts were 
especially targeted. In a ddition, the need for improved enforcement data and better 
understanding of the impacts was recognised, and the potential of  innovative technologies in 
the different links of the enforcement chain was studied. 
Specific topic: Enforcement  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results  
Consistency with other measures: the scope of the measure is consistent with the 
enforcement of road traffic offences (Measure 8)  in order to discipline users’ behaviour. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): encouraging the diss emination of the good 
practices provided by PEPPER project among Member States. Measure 10
: Collect, compare and publish information on national highway codes, and on 
infringements established and penalties  imposed in the various countries 
• - The European Road Safety Observatory (ERS O) provides on its webs ite a section with a 
brief overview of the different traffic rules applied in the Me mber States. For each country, 
traffic rules are available for speed, alcohol , day time running lights, winter tyres and 
safety equipment for cars and bicycles. The information has been collected informally with the help of the CARE correspondents. A more extensive document on national traffic rules 
is available only for France on the same we bpage. The Road Traffic Rules comparative 
EN 10   EN study (RTR, 2004) provided background informa tion on the legislation and enforcement 
actions of road traffic rules in the EU15. The aim was contributing to harmonisation, 
providing information on best results achieved in the field of issuing legislation and 
enforcement strategies to decision ma kers, and informing the general public. 
- The European Traffic Police organization (TISPOL) has a public database called 
CLEOPATRA (Collection of La w Enforcement Operations and Police Activities To Reduce 
Traffic Accidents) which presents detailed info rmation from six EU Me mber States (Sweden, 
Finland, Germany, France, Netherlands, United Ki ngdom) related to traffic safety, road safety 
programmes and rules as well as data related to alcohol and drugs, speeding and seatbelts. 
Other Member States are invited to provide similar information. Apart from these six Member States, general information from an EU perspective is included as well. The information in this database is police-oriented, it does not le nd itself to an easy cons ultation by the general 
public. This database is a part of the project PEPPER (Police Enforcement Policy and Programmes on European Roads, see Measure 9). 
Specific topic:  Road safety awareness  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: increasing knowledge on traffic rules  among the general 
public supports the other measures to improve road safety. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the collected info rmation should be 
regularly updated. The European Commission could investigate improving information on 
road laws in all Member St ates, which could be promoted  by ferry, tunnel and travel 
companies, and that car hire companie s, insurers, motoring groups and others. 
Measure 11
  
Participate in awareness campaigns about dr inking and driving, seat belts, speed and 
fatigue, if possible combined w ith national police activities. 
The European Commission co-financed numerous campaigns on road safety across Member 
States between 2001 and 2010. Concerning drinki ng and driving, several campaigns have 
been carried out in the framework of the project EURO-BOB10 (Pan-European Designated 
Driver Campaign Project), namely  EURO-BOB 2001-2002; 2002-2003; 2003-2004; 2004-
2005; and 2005-2007. Campaigns addressing the issue of driving und er the effects of alcohol and drugs were: 
- ENWA 2007-2010 (European ni ght without accidents), 
- NESA 2004-2006 (Nuit européenne sans accidents), and - VCO 2007-2010 (Opération soirées clean). With regard to seat belts and restraint systems,  different campaigns have been carried out in 
the framework of the project EUCHIRES (Eur opean public awareness campaign on the use of 
seat belts and child restraint syst ems): EUCHIRES 2005 and EUCHIRES 2007. 
The following campaigns concerned more  general issues of road safety: 
- RED-CROSS 2004-2005 (The European Red Cross road safety campaign); - VAMOS 2006-2009 (Vol unteers always). 
Moreover the Commission supported the campaigni ng activities carried out by two projects: 
With the project EURO RS WEB, a website ce ntralising data on aw areness campaigns on 
road safety was created. The aim is exch anging information, knowledge and experience 
concerning the campaigns carried out in the different Member States. 
                                                
 
10 The person who does not drink alcohol when he has to drive and who drives the rest of the party home 
safely 
EN 11   EN The FWP6 research project CAST (Campaigns and Awareness-Raising St rategies in Traffic 
Safety) aimed to fulfil the need for tools among  campaign practitioners. This project studied 
the direct impact of mass media campaigns on road safety. 
Specific topic:  Road safety awareness  
Type of impact: indirect  
Contribution to road safety: high results 
Consistency with other measures:  this measure is consistent with the actions aimed at 
influencing road users’ behavi our. There is a strong link especi ally with the actions in the 
field of enforcement (Measure 8), since the combination of enforcement and campaigns 
increase the effect on the cha nging of road users’ behaviour. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): encouraging Member States and other 
stakeholders (e.g. regional authorities) to c ontinue implementing awareness campaigns, using 
the manuals provided by the CAST (RTD-FP6) project. 
Measure 12   
Encourage the application of the recommendat ion on the blood alcohol limit; continue 
work on the effects of drugs and medicine s; establish appropriat e classification and 
labelling of medicines whic h affect driving ability. 
The maximum permitted blood alcohol conten t for drivers is defined by Commission 
Recommendation 2001/116/CE. In 2006, th e European Commission adopted a 
Communication (2006) 625), setti ng out the EU strategy to support Member States in 
reducing alcohol related harm, with a view  to encouraging them to apply this 
recommendation. The Communicati on addresses the adverse hea lth effects of harmful and 
hazardous alcohol consumption in Europe, which is estimated to cause the deaths of 195.000 people a year in the EU. The identified prioriti es are: to protect youn g people and children; 
reduce injuries and deaths from alcohol-relate d road accidents; prevent harm among adults 
and reduce the negative impact on the economy; raise awareness of the impact on health of 
harmful alcohol consumption; and help gather reliable statistics. In June 2007, the “Alcohol 
and Health Forum” has been put in place to s upport, provide input and monitor the 
implementation of the strategy outlined in th e Communication, focusing on topics such as 
research, information and data collection, and education. Concerning drug s and medicines, the 
importance of promoting and widening research on the influence of psychoactive substances 
on driving ability is stated in the Council Re solution of 27 November 2003 on combating the 
impact of psychoactive substances use on road accidents, so that prevention and law 
enforcement measures can be base d on sound scientific evidence.  
The Commission is consideri ng the advisability of the in troduction of appropriate and 
harmonised pictograms on medical packaging, ba sed on the European classification of drugs, 
according to their effects on driving ability. To th is end, impaired driving has been addressed, 
with different approaches and sp ecific aims, by several projects. 
The project IMMORTAL
 (Impaired motorists, methods of ro adside testing and assessment for 
licensing) aimed at researching the accident risk  associated with different forms of driver 
impairment and studying the effects of me dicines and drugs on driving performance. 
The project ROSITA 2  (Evaluation of roadside oral fluid dr ug tests for the detection of drivers 
under the influence of drugs), conducted an inte rnational study to asse ss the performance of 
on-site drug tests to detect illegal drug  use among drivers. The project DRUID  (Driving under 
influence, drugs, alcohol and medicines) aims  at analysing the effect of psychoactive 
substance and at establishing guide lines and measures to combat impaired drivi ng, in order to 
provide a solid base for harm onised regulations on driving unde r the influence of alcohol, 
drugs and medicine. The project is also expect ed to establish an ap propriate classification 
system of medicines affecting driving ability, creating a framework for medicines according 
to a labelling system. Several la rge scale studies will be conduc ted on the road in different 
member countries, involving police and hospitals: several thousands of dr ivers will be tested 
EN 12   EN for psychoactive substances. The project invo lves 37 partners from 20 States (18 EC 
Members, Norway and Switzerland), bringing together academics, researchers, medical 
institutions and governmental bodies. Action for th e labelling of medicine s is also in progress 
within the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), which is responsible for the evaluation and supervision of medicines for human and vete rinary use in Europe. The importance of 
providing adequate information on the benef its and risks of medicines was already 
emphasised in the EMEA Road Map 2005. To th is end, the Agency carried out a survey 
involving patients’ and consumer s’ organisations, healthcare pr ofessionals’ organisations and 
representatives of the Agency itself. The survey addressed th e communication on benefits and 
risks of medicines in the light of the need  for transparent information, focusing on the 
summary of product characteris tics, labelling, the package leaflet, public assessment 
report and product safety announcements. Accordi ng to the main findings of the survey 
(EMEA, 2009), alongside more comprehensive scientific data, there should be a clear 
description and a concise easy-to-read summaries of benefits and risks of medicines. It is 
broadly agreed that complete and transpar ent information must be ensured about any 
potential harm which could resu lt from the intake of the me dicine, including any negative 
impact on the patients’ quality of  life (e.g. interference with daily activities, such as driving). 
The EMEA believes that improved package desi gn and labelling should be put in place and 
intends to further explore how best to communicate on safety i ssues. The final aim would be 
submitting a proposal for a regulatory project on product characteristics, the labelling and the package leaflet for better communicating of  benefits and risks of medicines. 
Duration of the project IMMORTAL: from 1 January 2002 to 30 June 2005. 
Duration of the project ROSITA 2: from 1 December 2002 to 1 January 2005. 
Duration of the project DRUID: from October 2006 to September 2010. 
Duration of the EMEA survey: from March to April 2008. 
Specific topic: Impaired driving 
Type of impact: Direct : application of blood alcohol limits. Indirect : research on effects of 
drug and medicines supporting policy-making. 
Contribution to road safety: high results 
Consistency with other measures: the result of the research on drivers' impairment should 
be followed-up by enforcement meas ures and awareness initiatives. 
Outcomes 
Communication (2006) 625 ha s identified areas wh ere the EU can sup port the actions of 
Member States to reduce alcohol related harm, such as financing projects through the Public 
Health and Research Programmes, exchanging good practice on issues su ch as curbing under-
age drinking, exploring cooperation on informa tion campaigns or tackling drink-driving and 
other Community initiatives. The Communicati on also maps out actions which Member 
States are taking, with a view to promoting good practice, pr oposes an Alcohol and Health 
Forum of interested parties and sets out areas where industry can make  a contribution, notably 
in the area of responsible adve rtising and marketing. The memb ers of the European Alcohol 
and Health Forum have made a series of commitments aimed at reducing alcohol-related 
harm. So far, 108 commitments have been taken. The vast majority of commitments relates to 
information and education programmes (46% of commitments); then there are the actions on 
responsible commercial communication and sales (22% of commitments).  
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): disseminating the results of relevant 
projects and evaluate the feas ibility of a European legisl ation introducing (i) a maximum 
blood alcohol content; (ii) harmonised methods for checking illegal drugs; and (iii) follow-up 
to be given, including an appr opriate classification and labelli ng of medicines which affect 
driving ability. 
EN 13   EN Measure 13   
Harmonising, over time, the penalties for the main infringements of the rules for 
international hauliers.   
In order to facilitate the free movement of goods and servic es and to ensure a high level of 
safety for national and international transport operations, uniform rules for international transport at the European leve l are desirable. Council Direc tive 94/55/EC of 21 November 
1994 was realised to lay down uniform safety rules for transporting dangerous goods by road 
within the European Community. This dire ctive was amended first by the Directive 
2000/61/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union of 10 
October 2000, and then by Commission Di rectives 2003/28/EC of 7 April 2003 and 
2006/89/EC of 3 November 2006. The Regula tion (EC) No 561/2006 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 concerned the harmonisation of certain 
social legislation relating to  road transport, amended C ouncil Regulations (EEC) No 3821/85 
and (EC) No 2135/98 and repealed Council Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85.  
Specific topic: Enforcement. 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety:  low results 
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with  the objective of enforcing 
safety rules (Measure 8). What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): examine the possibilities for establishing a 
proper regulatory framework for the process of  harmonisation of penalties for international 
hauliers. 
Measure 14
 
Amend Directive 91/439/EEC on driving licen ces in order to in troduce in particular 
minimum standards for car driving examiners and a staged driving licensing system for 
motorcyclists, trucks- and bus drivers to reduce accident risks among inexperienced drivers. 
The new rules introduced by Directive 2006/126/E C aim at reinforcing safety on European 
roads, at reducing the possibilities of fraud, a nd at guaranteeing a true freedom of movement 
for EU drivers through further harmonisation of li cences categories. This Directive defines the 
indicative minimum age for each type of vehicl e (article 4), a staging system for drivers 
between vehicles categories and the equivalences  that Member States may grant for driving 
on their territory (article 7). With regard to m opeds, today no licence is needed in most of the 
Member States. However, accident figures show a highly increased risk of accident 
involvement of young road users. The Di rective introduces a new harmonised licence 
category AM and a mandatory theory driving te st. The age limit for category AM should be 
16 years, but Member States may authorise access  from the age of 14 with effect on national 
territory only. Light motorcycles are limited toda y to 125 cc and 11 kW. No power to weight 
ratio is imposed. This could lead  to ever lighter vehicles, thus achieving steadily increasing 
acceleration and top speed possibilities. The Di rective introduces a power/weight ratio not 
exceeding 0.1 kW/kg. All Member States will have to introduce this category of licences which existed in some Member States only. The current category A will be split into two distinct categories: A2 (motorcycles of a power not exceeding 35 kW , a power/weight ratio 
not exceeding 0.2 kW/kg and not derived from a vehicle of more than double its power) and “A” (other motorcycles). For category A, the Directive increases the progressive access from 
the age of 21, raising from two to three years the experience which the applicant must have 
acquired on a motorcycle A2. The driver will also have to pass a specific practical test limited to driving in traffic, with a special focus on driving outside urban areas and on high-speed 
road infrastructure. For direct access, the mi nimum age limit is raised from the present 21 
years to 24 years. Concerning trailers with B li cence, the Directive introduces a clear weight 
limit rather than a tractor vehicle/trailer ratio . The Directive also am ends trucks and buses 
categories to:  
EN 14   EN - refer to the number of passengers and not the nu mber of seats (to avoid that a vehicle such as 
a bus with mainly standing passengers may be driven by a category B or D1 licence holder, instead of a category D licence holder); - bring the technical requirements for smaller trucks and buses in line with that of the 
market’s vehicles. All Member States will need to  introduce the categories C1 and D1 for motor vehicles with a 
maximum authorised mass not exceeding 6,000 kg a nd for motor vehicles with a capacity to 
transport not more than 16 passengers, allowing  for a better distinction between the biggest 
trucks and buses mostly used for commercia l transport (fitted with air break/suspension 
systems and thus more like smaller lorries) and the smaller ones used for different purposes (generally built on an extended chassis for B vehicles). Categories C1 and D1 are equivalent: they only differ in purposes (transport of goods or  transport of passengers) but not in the skills 
and knowledge needed for driving them. Fina lly, the Directive sets out the minimum 
standards which driving examiners have to meet , (article 10 and annex IV), and the minimum 
requirements for driving test (annex II). Standards on the training and education of driving examiners currently vary widely throughout th e Union. In some Member States examiners 
have almost no specific education or do not even hold the driving licence for the category 
they are examining. According to the ne w legislation, driving examiners should: 
- have a valid licence for the category they are examining; - have obtained an in itial qualification; 
- be obliged to participate in periodic training; - follow a progressive access in the tes ting of different vehicles categories. 
Specific topic: Driving education and training. 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety:  high results 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with other measures to increase 
the safety of novice drivers. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): a verification of the implementation at 
national level and its impact s hould be carried out after 2013. 
Measure 15
 
Continue work on reviewing, in the light of  scientific progress, minimum standards for 
physical and mental fitness to drive and stud y the impact of medical examinations on road 
safety. 
Objective : improving road safety by assuring mini mum physical and mental standards to 
drive. The European Commission produced  Directive 2009/112/EC of 25 August 2009, 
amending Council Directive 91/4 39/EEC on driving licences, in order to harmonise the 
minimum requirements for fitness to drive at Community level (notably in Annex III of the 
Directive). The resulting legislation has been  prepared by several working groups dealing 
with the issues concerned, in particular: minimu m standards of physical and mental fitness for 
driving power-driven vehicles; a possible revi sion of the standards on vision for driving; 
diabetes and driving, epilepsy a nd driving; development of an instrument to measure glare 
sensitivity for driving licence a pplication and the establishment of the relation between glare 
sensitivity and the degree of visual impairment  in a driving situati on. Several reports and 
projects have been produced for these purposes, for instance the report “New standards for the 
visual functions of drivers”, comprising the advice of the Eyesight Working Group to the 
European Driving Licence Committee for a possi ble revision of the standards on vision for 
driving, and the project MEDRIL which had as  objective to assess the medical examination 
for driving licence holders in four  EU Member States in order to  consider the different models 
used in Europe. Duration of the project GLARE: fr om 1 January 2003 to 21 December 2004. 
Duration of the project MEDRIL: from 1 March 2004 to 1 March 2006. 
EN 15   EN The study regarding diabetes and driving ha s been carried out in  2006, and the studies 
regarding epilepsy and vi sual functions in 2005. 
Specific topic: Driving education and training. 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety:  low results 
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with the general objective of 
increasing road safety through a proper revision of the physical and mental requirements for 
driving and their monitoring over time. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring the implementation of the 
Directive 2009/112/EC at national level and cont inuing the study of the impact on road safety 
of medical examinations for driving licence holders. 
Measure 16
 
Work towards establishing a scientific approach to learning how to drive and to road safety 
training, from school age. 
Objective : increasing the effectiveness of educati on for children and teenagers and therefore 
improving the safety of young drivers. Description: Numerous studies have shown that a good percentage of accidents may be 
attributed to insufficient or inappr opriate training (TRA IN ALL website). 
This issue has been addresse d by several projects: the pr oject ROSE-25 (Inventory and 
Compiling of an European Good Practice guide on road safety education targeted at young 
people), investigated the situat ion of road safety education in the EU25. The project TRAIN-
ALL (Integrated System for driver Training a nd Assessment using Interactive education tools 
and New training curricula for AL L modes of road transport) aims to develop a computer-
based training system that integrates multimedia soft ware, virtual driving simulator and on-board vehicle sensors into a single modular pl atform. The developed tools are being tested 
and optimised in 11 pilot projects, aiming at pr oducts, guidelines, standards, certification and 
accreditation at pan-European level.The project RO SACE (Road Safety in cities: change road 
safety education in Europe) aims at creating a new educative approach based on the concept 
of “street safety education”, providing the guidelines and material for specific health-
promoting actions in and outside schools. So fa r, the educational approach of ROSACE has 
been applied in six pilot projects launched in  the schools of six Euro pean cities: Athens, 
Madrid, Rome, Tarragona, Vilnius and Warsaw. The main project pa rtners are experts in child 
participation and road safety  education. Local communities as  well are invited to produce 
their own material to make ROSA CE a reality in each of the pa rticipating cities. Finally, the 
project HERMES (High Impact approach for E nhancing Road safety through More Effective 
communication Skills for driving instructors) has the objective of creating an easy-to-use 
training package on teacher-trainee communicati on in classrooms, in cars and on dedicated 
tracks. A multi-national team of experienced dr iving teachers, psychologists, educational and 
coaching experts has been created for this purp ose. The project focuses on the importance for 
driver training programs of developing self-evalu ation skills, addressing how factors such as 
journey contexts and motivations can impact on  driving. Drawing on existing experience of 
coaching and other active learning methods in  driver training and on expert advice on 
coaching, HERMES is expected to produce a training package for driving teachers. The 
complete package will be tested and evaluated in a pilot project. The project CLOSE TO aims 
at establishing innovative methods for driving sc hool education. In partic ular, it studies the 
applications of the “peer educat ion method”, in which “equals rela te to equals”, and the ways 
of integrating it into driving education pr ogrammes. The objective is confronting young 
novice drivers with young drivers who have caus ed traffic accidents: selected young traffic 
accident offenders will be trained so as to be able to effectively confront beginning drivers 
with their personal experience as Ambassadors for Traffic Safety.  
Duration of the project ROSE 25: from 29 December 2003 to 29 March 2005. 
EN 16   EN Duration of the project TRAIN-ALL: from 1 November 2006 to 31 December 2009. 
Duration of the project ROSACE: from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2009. 
Duration of the project HERMES: from 1 March 2007 to 28 February 2010. Duration of the project CLOSE TO: from January 2008 to December 2010. 
Specific topic: Driving education and training. 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety:  high results 
Consistency with other measures: the measure is closely linked with the initiatives related 
to drivers' behaviour and drivi ng licence, in particular with those addressed to young drivers. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): action on driving education needs to be 
continued and the results n eed to be widely applied. 
Measure 17
 
Continue specific work on young drivers and rehabilitation methods to reduce re-offending 
Objective: improving the safety of young drivers. 
Description: Road accidents are the main cause of  violent mortalit y among young people. 
Young people between 15 and 24 year s are especially vu lnerable and account for about 21% 
of the total number of road fa talities in the EU. In order to reduce the accident risk of young 
drivers, the Commission acted at different levels . At the legislative level, the EC issued the 
Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences in  December 2006, which, among others, defines 
the indicative minimum age for each type of ve hicle and a staging syst em for drivers between 
vehicles categories aiming at re inforcing safety on European ro ads (see Measure 14 for more 
details). At the same time, th e Commission promoted several initiatives in the domains of 
training, education and campaigns. It funde d the project YOUTH ON THE ROAD, backed 
three European Youth Fora for Road Safe ty. The project YOUTH ON THE ROAD aimed at 
promoting the participation of young people (up to  the age of 24) in road safety actions by 
creating a platform to promote di fferent initiatives at the local level in 100 European cities. A 
youth and road safety network involving cultural , social and educational communities directly 
related to children and young adults  was built and a internet we bsite was created to involve 
young people's associations, parents' associations , cultural or health prevention associations, 
at local, regional, national a nd European level. The first European Road Safety Day was held 
on 27 April 2007 and presented the theme "Young Dr ivers". During this event, the European 
Commission took the commitment to host a fo llow-up meeting dealing with the topic of 
young people's safety on the roads. More than 4 00 participants from mo re than 30 countries 
attended the Conference to discuss safety issu es with regard to young people, focusing on the 
themes of alcohol and drugs in traffic, and training and education. The European Youth Fora 
for Road Safety were held in Brussels in July 2007, July 2008 and July 2009. With the 2008 Forum, a network was set up to work together  in order to reduce the number of young people 
killed every year on European roads. Also, si x youth associations were  given the opportunity 
to sign the European Road Safety Charter (see measure 4). The second European Youth 
Forum for Road Safety, held the 9th and 10t h of July 2009, brought together young Europeans 
from 29 countries, specialists, institutions and public and private organisations. Three 
workshops discussed the issues of two-wheels, youth behaviour and sustainable mobility, and 
prepared several proposals that will to be sent  to institutional representatives. In order to 
promote these recommendations, a representative  from the Forum participated to the Road 
Safety Conference in October 2009 in Gotebor g, and presented them in front of the EU 
Transportation Ministers. The th ird European Youth Forum has be en held the first of July 
2010. Finally, it is worth remembering the pr oject CLOSE TO (see Measure 16), which 
involves young drivers who caused an accident in an educational process where young people 
are confronted with coetaneous. Teaching to others ones own mistakes , is likely to help 
offenders to learn and improve. 
EN 17   EN Duration of the project YOUTH ON THE RO AD: from 22 December 2003 to 22 December 
2005. The European Youth Forum for Road Safe ty is going to take place every year. 
Specific topic: Driving education and training. 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety:  medium results 
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with the actions addressed to 
young drivers, in particular measures 14 and 16.  What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): a specific focus on young drivers needs to 
be maintained. 
Measure 18
 
Encourage the general use of crash helmets by all two-wheel motor vehicle users 
Objective : increase the safety of the two-wheel motor vehicle drivers. 
Description: The main purpose of helmets is to make  riding a motorbike safer by reducing 
the peak and the duration of acceleration of the head by abso rbing the energy of a collision. 
A legislation project mandating the use of cras h helmets was abandoned. Since specific norms 
already existed in all Member States, there was no need of intervention at the European level, 
also according to the subsidiarity  principle. At present, the implementation of this measure is 
carried out in the framework of the European  Road Safety Charter, with the voluntary 
agreements undertaken by the signatories. The Motorcycle Industry Association (ACEM) has 
recently signed a new commitment to the European Road Safety Charter: the “ACEM Promotion and Advertising Guidelines” (ACEM,  2006). The general aim of the commitment 
is to ensure that all promotion and advertisem ents show the powered two-wheelers used in a 
safe and responsible manner, in order to positi vely influence the attitude of the user. In 
particular, the manufacturers’ advertisemen t will feature a logo or message recommending 
that users wear approved helmets, to encour age a responsible behaviour. A review of the 
available studies on helmets conc ludes that helmets are effectiv e at preventing or reducing the 
severity of head injury to motorcyclists who crash by between 69% (MAIDS, 2009) and 72% 
(TRL, 2007). Moreover, according to a study carried out in Greece (Petridou, Skalkidou, 
Ioannou, Trichopoulos, 1998), the fatal ity rate of riders with he lmet is 44% lower than for 
riders without a helmet. The helmet wearing rate  for drivers is in most countries well above 
90%. Only Greece, Italy and Cyprus, among the countries with available data, present wearing rate for drivers far from  the average. More disappointi ng is the wearing rate for PTW 
passengers. Specific topic: power-two wheel.  
Type of impact: direct 
Contribution to road safety:  high results 
Consistency with other measures: the action foreseen by this measure is tightly linked with 
the actions carried out in the domain of road  safety education (Measures 16 and 17). The 
scope is strongly consistent with Me asure 35 (motorcycles’ active safety). 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): support for the general use of crash helmets 
needs to be continued in the framework of th e European Road Safety Charter and through ad 
hoc campaigns. The initiatives should target in particular those regions presenting the lowest 
wearing rates and should take into account th e characteristics of the targeted population. 
Measure 19
 
Study the effectiveness of crash helmet use by c yclists in different age groups, as well as the 
impact on bicycle use and the measures to be taken, where appropriate, at EU level 
Objective : improving cyclist safety. 
Description: From a number of studies, contra dictory evidence emerged about the 
effectiveness of cycle helmets. Most of the evidence in favour of helmet effectiveness has 
come from “case control studies”, where a group of  cyclists with head injuries is compared 
with one or more groups without. This approach  is, however, less reliab le than randomized 
EN 18   EN controlled studies or cohort stud ies, but the latter have not been  used in helmet research for 
practical reasons, since injuries to cyclists are rare, overall. Someti mes helmets have been 
found to protect from injuries to the face, so metimes to offer no protection against facial 
injuries. Some studies found that casualty trends  from countries where helmet use has become 
significant show no reductions in se rious or fatal injuries attributable to helmets. In England, 
an analysis of road traffic in juries found no association between  differing patterns of helmet 
wearing rates and casualty rates for adults or  children (Hewson, 2005). A study based in the 
Lothians in Scotland (Scottish Executive Soci al Research, 2005) found that although 39% of 
injured cyclists wore helmets, a much lower pr oportion (18% in 2001) of Scottish cyclists said 
they always wore a helmet, sugge sting that helmet wearing is associated with a higher risk 
of injury. A prominent helmet test expert (W alker, 2005) has stated that most helmets are 
physically incapable of sustaining impacts of the type a ssociated with serious crashes; helmets 
provide protection only in low impact crashe s under favourable circumstances. Helmeted 
cyclists have been shown to be more likely to hit their heads if they crash and may be more 
likely to crash in the first place. Thus, helmet use might adversely affect crash involvement or 
outcome. Risk compensation by cyclists who wear  helmets has been confirmed in research 
(TRL, 1996). In conclusion, cycle helmets are likely to prevent minor wounds to the head, but not serious, life threatening injuries. Moreover,  helmet promotion has also been shown to 
decrease cycle use (TRL, 1997): in all countries where helmet laws have been introduced and 
enforced, there has been a substantial reduction in cycling. Instead, it seems that the greatest 
influence on cycling safety is the number  of people who cycle (Jacobsen, 2003; Robinson, 
2005; Turner, Roozenburg, Francis, 2006): cyc ling gets safer the more people do it. 
Conversely, any reduction in cycl e use, due to helmets or any other factor, results in 
reduced safety for cyclists as a whole, in cluding those who decide to wear helmets. 
Considering the numerous studies for and against helmets, it seems that the evidence is too ambiguous to take a stand one way or another. It also needs to be considered that, where 
helmet use is voluntary , the levels of helmet wearing by  cyclists are much higher (TRL, 
2005). 
Specific topic: Vulnerable road users  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety : no results  
Consistency with other measures: in order to finalise this measure, statistics on cyclists 
accidents need to be improved (i n the framework of Measure 59). 
Contribution to road safety: no results. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): a comprehensive review of the evidence 
would need to be undertaken on a wider base, improving data collection about cyclists' road 
accidents. The research should be extended to as sess other measures to improve cyclist safety 
(for example, construction of  bike lanes, improving bikers ’ visibility, etc.). Cyclist 
associations need to be involved in the po licy processes regarding cycling policies and 
infrastructure management. 
Measure 20
 
The Commission will continue to support Eu roNCAP to enable further progress to be 
made, to raise awareness among and info rm consumers and to strengthen the 
representation of the Member States 
Objective : encourage and improve the safety of cars. 
Description: The European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) is an 
international association which tests vehicles  in order to provide with an accurate and 
independent assessment of the safety performan ce of some of the most  popular cars sold in 
Europe. Its main objectives are: 
- encouraging significant safety improvements to new car design; 
- reactively and proactively encourage the development of new technologies; 
EN 19   EN - support the safety department s within car manufacturers; 
- reducing the number of cr ash fatalities and accidents on European roads; 
- carrying out independent a nd accurate crash-testing; 
- stimulating discussion on safety issues. 
Since 2009, EuroNCAP releases an overall rating fo r each tested vehicle, with assessments in 
adult occupant protection, child protection, pedest rian protection and safety assist. It also 
releases information on electronic stability control fitment and resu lts of seats put through rear 
impact (whiplash) testing. The programme involv es legislators, industry, research, consumer 
organisations and insurers. The European Commission is an observing member of 
EuroNCAP’s board and provides political s upport. Moreover, DG Research funded several 
scientific projects for enhancing vehicle testin g methods and improving their reliability: the 
projects ADVANCE, CHILD, HUMOS2, SIBER, ISI-PADAS, THOMO and THORAX. Established in December 1996, the progra mme is now backed by seven European 
Governments (France, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and the Catalonian part of Spain), the Eu ropean Commission and mo toring and consumer 
organisations. In February 2009 a new rating scheme was launched. The new overall rating 
reflects the protection offered to adult and chil d occupants as well as pedestrians and, for the 
first time, considers the safety potential of adva nced driver assistance  technologies such as 
electronic stability control. Up to Sept ember 2009, 245 car models have been tested. 
Specific topic: building stakeholder commitment 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: high results 
Consistency with other measures: the activity of EuroNCAP is consistent with all the 
measures aiming at increasing passive vehicle safety. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): EuroNCAP - now a sustainable activity - is 
no longer supported by the Commission. Beyond the standard information on passive safety, 
the Euro-NCAP scheme should be encouraged to  address more and more additional features. 
Measure21
 
Develop a harmonised specification for the inst allation of audible or visual seat belt 
reminder systems and promote their universal use by voluntary agreement 
Objective : increase the safety of car occupants. 
Description: UNECE made a first step in regulati ng and harmonising th e specifications 
regarding seat belt reminders (UNECE, 2009), but  only with regard to the driver’s position. 
Within the EU, the installation of safety be lt reminder systems is being implemented and 
encouraged by voluntary agreements, notably through the project CARS 21, the commitments 
taken in the framework of the European Road Safety Charter and the incentive given by the 
EuroNCAP’s assessment of cars safety perfor mance. The research project CARS 21 (A 
Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century) aimed at making 
recommendations for the short, medium, and long term public policy and regulatory 
framework for the European automotive industry to enhance global competitiveness and employment while sustaining safe ty and environmental performance. One of the key aims of 
the project was to provide regulatory stability  and planning certainty  for the industry. It 
examined the major policy areas which impact the competitiveness of the European automotive industry, assessing the possible contri bution of the European  vehicle industry to 
the road safety objectives. The Final Report of  the project (CARS 21, 2005) affirms that the 
best means of improving road safety would be  to adopt a holistic, integrated approach 
involving vehicle technology, infras tructure and the driver. Concer ning seat belt reminders, it 
encourages the adoption of this vehicle technology measure in all new vehicles. 
Duration of the project CARS 21: fr om 13 January to 12 December 2005. 
EN 20   EN In June 2008, the EU Commission launched the CARS 21 mid-term review process 
(CARS21, 2008) to evaluate the progress made, a ssess the state of play, and consider whether 
any changes are necessary to the existing regulat ory framework in the light of the experience. 
In May 2009, the UNECE Regulation 16 adopted uni form technical prescr iptions for wheeled 
vehicles, providing uniform provisions concerni ng the approval of seat belt reminders. 
Specific topic: Vehicle occupants protection  
Type of impact: direct 
Contribution to road safety: high results 
Consistency with other measures:  
Consistency with other measures: the scope of this measure is consistent with the actions 
carried out in the framework of Euro NCAP (M easure 20) and of the European Safety Charter 
(Measure 4). What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): UNECE recently made a first step in 
defining the approval of a seat belt reminder sy stem, but only for the dr iver. From a European 
perspective, a higher level standard could be justified. The seat belt reminder provisions of 
this regulation could be used as a basis for a European regulation that includes the front 
passenger seat and, in a second pha se, the rear seating positions. 
Measure22
 
Introduce universal anchorage systems for child restraint devices 
Objective : increase the safety of children in the car. 
Description: The legislative framework for a definition of the anchorage systems for adult 
passengers is set by the following three Directives: - Directive 2005/39/EC relates to motor vehicles w ith regard to the seats,  their anchorages and 
head restraints. It bans the use of side-facing seats in passenger vehicles. 
- Directive 2005/40/EC relates to s eat belts and restraint systems. 
- Directive 2005/41/EC relates to anchorages for safety belts. 
However, there is no legislation relating specif ically to universal anch orage systems for child 
restraint devices. Many child restraint users fail to attach the child restraint securely to the car 
and this compromises the protection afforded to th e children. This is why there is the need for 
a definition of universal systems for the anchorage of children. The Euro NCAP has 
encouraged improved designs a nd the fitment of IS OFIX mounts and child restraints, which 
provide a much more secure method of att aching the child restraint to the car, since 
additional provision is made to prevent rotation of  the child restraint. As a consequence, Euro 
NCAP has seen improved designs, where the child is less likely to strike the car’s interior, 
whilst at the same time experiencing reduced  forces from the restraint system. The 
improvement of child restraint devices is also  supported by voluntary agreements promoted 
through the European Road Safety Charter. Th e general installation of  universal anchorage 
systems for child restraint devices is to be ma de compulsory by a Directive, but at present 
there is not any proposal in this respect. 
Specific topic: vehicle occupant protection 
Type of impact: direct. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: the scope of this measure is tightly linked with the 
implementation of Measure 55. 
Measure 23
 
Improve cars to reduce the severity of a ccidents involving pedestrians and cyclists 
Objective : increase the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. 
Description: The EC Directive 2003/102/EC  introduced pedestrian protection requirements 
for the construction of motor vehicles, in order to reduce the number and severity of injuries 
to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.  It sets the procedur e for type-approval of 
vehicles in two stages, with the injury limits for stage 2 more stringent than those of stage 1. 
EN 21   EN Since many vehicle manufacturers were of the op inion that compliance wi th the stage 2 limits 
was not feasible, a review clause was conclude d in 2007, proposing a numb er of relaxations to 
the stage 2 limits. To offset thes e relaxations and to ensure that  the reductions in pedestrian 
fatalities and injuries were still achieved, the European Co mmission proposed mandating the 
fitment of Brake Assist systems (systems desi gned to sense an emergency braking situation 
and assist the driver in achieving the maxi mum achievable deceleration in the prevailing 
conditions), which have been shown to have si gnificant benefits in terms of pedestrian 
protection. The EC Directive 2005/66/EC laid down technical requirements for the type-
approval of motor vehicles as regards fr ontal protection systems. The Directives 
2003/102/EEC on pedestrian protection and 2005/66/ EC on frontal protection systems were 
replaced by the new EC Regulation 78/2009 on pedestrian protection, adopted on  
14 January 2009. In the new Regulation: 
- The scope is extended to cover vehicles exceeding 2.500 kg. 
- Requirements for the mandatory fitment of  brake assist systems are introduced. 
- The limits for stage 2 tests are reduced. 
Uniform technical requirements for wheeled vehicl es are also prescribed, for certain vehicle 
categories, by the UNECE Regulation 13, whic h, among others, defines the key concepts 
relating to the braking systems. At present, it is being revised to incl ude a norm about assisted 
emergency braking systems. Besi des the legislative actions, two research projects have been 
funded by the Commission in this domain w ithin the framework of the IST programme: 
- The project SAVE-U (Sensors and system arch itecture for vulnerable road users protection), 
which developed an innovative se nsor platform for an optimised vulnerable road user 
detection implementing driver warning and vehicl e control strategies to avoid, or at least 
minimise, the impact of a crash. 
- The project WATCH-OVER, whose goal was the design and development of a cooperative 
system for the prevention of accidents involvi ng vulnerable road users in urban and extra-
urban areas based on short ra nge communication and vision se nsors. Finally, pedestrian 
protection has received additional weight within the new Euro NCAP rating scheme 
(see Measure 20), which provides a strong ince ntive for the voluntary implementation of 
vehicle safety measures. The new overall rating, which includes pedestrian protection, forces 
car-makers to improve pedestrian protection if they  want to receive 4 or 5 star ratings in the 
future. Duration of the SAVE-U project: from 1 March 2002 to 30 September 2005. Duration of the WATCH-OVER project: from January 2006 to December 2008. Regarding the application of the Regulation 78 /2009, the timetable for varies in function of 
the vehicles type from 24 November 2009 to 24 August 2019. By 24 February 2014, the 
Commission shall review the feasibility and a pplication of these enhanced passive safety 
requirements and the functioning of this Regulati on with regard to the use and effectiveness 
of brake assist and other active safety technologies. 
Specific topic:  vulnerable road users  
Type of impact: direct 
Contribution to road safety: high results 
Consistency with other measures: the scope of this measure is consistent with the actions 
carried out in the framework of Euro NCAP (Meas ure 20) and with the research in the domain 
of the eSafety initiative. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the research on new technologies and on a 
more effective car design to reduce the severity  of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists 
needs to be deepened. 
Measure 24
 
Study the causes of and ways of  preventing whiplash injuries 
Objective : reducing the severity of car accidents. 
EN 22   EN Description: Neck injuries resulting from car crashes, or whiplash associated disorders, are a 
serious traffic safety issue with huge costs for the individual as well as for society. It is 
recognised that important progress in neck in jury mitigation could be achieved by improving 
the use, design and efficiency of seats and head  restraints in vehicles. To this aim, the 
European Enhanced Vehicle-safe ty Committee (EEVC) carried out  several studies concerning 
whiplash injuries in order to support the deve lopment and enhancement of European safety 
standards and legislation. A dedicated worki ng group (WG20) was formed with the aim of 
developing test procedures for rear-end collisions, with a prime focus on neck injury 
reduction. The specific activities to  be carried out by WG20 are: 
1) developing a static test of head restraint geometry; 
2) developing a dynamic test of head restraint geometry; 3) developing a dynamic injury  prediction test procedure; 
4) contribute to the Global Technical Regula tion Informal Working Gr oup on head restraints. 
Moreover, there are studies funded in the framew ork of other research projects, such as the 
project Whiplash I & II and the project ADSEAT (adaptive seat to reduce neck injuries for 
female and male occupants). The Whiplash I pr oject (reduction of neck  injuries and their 
societal costs in rear end collisions) developed a test and design method for whiplash protection. However, this method considers the loading phase of rear-end collisions only. The 
project was followed by Whiplash II (Develop ment of new design and test methods for 
whiplash protection in vehicle co llisions), aiming at minimising the incidence and risk of neck 
injuries in frontal and oblique impacts as well as in the rebound phase of a rear-end collision, and at integrating this with the recently de veloped methods for the loading phase of rear-
impact collisions. The objective was reducing the ri sk and costs of low-severity neck injuries 
in car collisions by at least 40% by means of the introduction of safer vehicle designs. 
The study Multi-disciplinary Desi gn Optimization of Adaptive Vehicle Safety Systems for 
Whiplash Associated Disorders (MDO-W AD), funded under the Sixth Framework 
Programme, proposed to develop a design me thodology incorporating the contribution of 
vehicle design factors (such as vehicle structural  characteristics, seat geometry and material, 
etc.) to all four phases (retraction, extensi on, rebound and protraction) of whiplash, and to 
optimise vehicle safety, minimizing injury poten tial. Also, the adaptability of the safety 
system to occupant size and gender is one of the major project undertakings. The project 
ADSEAT, funded under the Seventh Framework Programme, aims at evaluating adaptive 
anti-whiplash systems in particular for females.  In fact it emerged that this part of the 
population is at higher risk than males for these injuries (the difference in risk is between 40-100%), but when assessing the vehicle safety the only available occupant model for these impact scenarios is an average male. Its objective is to establish the properties for a model of an average female and to implement those in a computational model for low severity testing, 
in addition to the male model that already exis ts. Finally, since January 2009, rear impact tests 
and whiplash rating have been introduced in the new EuroNCAP rating system in the Adult Protection score. Up to now, the EEVC working group has been working on the first assignment. 
Duration of the project Whiplash II: from 1 March 2001 to 31 August 2004. Duration of the project MDO-WAD: from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2009. 
Duration of the project ADSEAT: fro m 1 October 2009 to 31 March 2013. 
Specific topic: vehicle occupants' protection 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: the results of the research  on whiplash injuries will 
enable further progress in vehicle design and in the testing activity of Euro NCAP (see 
Measure 20). 
EN 23   EN What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): EuroNCAP has introduced an evaluation of 
the efficiency of whiplash protection system s. The automotive industr y should translate into 
action the outcomes of research, once finalised. 
Measure 25  
Support the development of smart restraint systems. 
Objective : improving safety of car occupants. 
Description: Traditional safety belts and air bags are set up to  provide protection by 
deploying in a fixed manner. Advanced restraint systems, on the contra ry, consider variables 
such as occupant weight, se ating position, safety-belt usag e and vehicle deceleration to 
control belt forces and deploy the air bag optim ally. For example, many new air-bag systems 
are designed to not deploy into unoccupied seatin g positions or when an occupant is out of the 
normal seating position and to fill at different  speeds and to different volumes. The PRISM 
project (Proposed Reduction of car crash Injuries through improved SMart restraint development technologies) was designed to faci litate the efficient and effective development 
of smart restraint systems for Europe. The project, f unded under the Fifth Framework 
Programme and involving industrial and academic partners from five Eu ropean countries, was 
set up to assess the potential benefits of smart sy stems in real world situ ations and to develop 
guidelines for the future testing of such system s. The testing and evaluation of smart restraint 
systems is not taken into account by the Euro NCAP rating system yet. 
Duration of the project PRISM: fr om 12 January 2002 to 3 September 2005. 
Specific topic: vehicle occupants' protection. 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: the results of the research on smart restraint systems will 
enable further progress in vehi cle design. The aim is consistent  with the general objective of 
increasing the car occupants’ safety.  
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): research should be deepened and the 
application of the results shoul d be supported in collaboration with the automotive industry. 
The testing of smart restraint systems, once inst alled in the majority of vehicles, could be 
included in the EuroNCAP rating system  
Measure 26
 
Adapt to technical progress the fr ont, side and rear-end impact di rectives for lo rries to limit 
vehicle under-run, and introduce energy absorption criteria. 
Objective : reducing the severity of truck accidents. Due to th e size and mass of heavy good 
vehicles, the problem of compa tibility with occupant s of other vehicles and vulnerable road 
users is a main issue. EU requirements have be en introduced in the pa st mandating front, rear 
and side under-run protection for trucks with  a gross weight over 3.5 tonnes (Directives 
2000/40, 70/221 and 89/297 respective ly). The intention of amendi ng those Directives in the 
light of the reached technical progress and to  introduce the concept of energy absorption 
criteria has seen a stop because of the succe ss of voluntary industry implementations in the 
framework of Euro NCAP. Of particular inte rest is the development of the “soft nose” 
concept for heavy goods vehicles that is bei ng studied by the Commissi on. The “soft nose” is 
a safety measure designed to absorb the energy of the impact in case of trucks collisions. 
Suggestions for improving rear and side unde r-run safety were also developed in the 
framework of the project VC Compat (see M easure 27 for details), which studied test 
procedures regarding car-to-truc k impact to assess and control truck frontal st ructures for 
frontal impact compatibility with cars. The project APROSYS (Advanced Protection 
Systems) contributed also to th e development of protection syst ems for front and side impacts 
involving heavy trucks. Duration of the project APROSYS: from 1 January 2004 to 1 December 2009. 
Specific topic: vehicle crash compatibility 
EN 24   EN Type of impact: direct 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: the aim is consistent with the general objective of 
reducing the severity of the conseque nces of accidents involving trucks. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the existing legislative framework for front, 
side and rear-end protection shoul d be adapted in light of the results achieved by the research. 
Measure 27  
Make vehicles more compatible 
Objective: improving car occupant safety. 
Description: Traffic related accidents are still a major issue: in 2007, more than 42.000 
people died on the roads and over 1.2 million of accidents caused personal injuries (CARE 
data). Of those fatalities, about  80% are car occupants fatalitie s, with small deviations per 
country11, and 50-60% of those (i.e. 15.000 people) di e in car-to-car or ca r-to-truck collisions. 
Therefore, there remains much potential benef it for improving vehicle crash compatibility 
(described by the self protection level and the st ructural interaction) a nd car occupant safety. 
Two research projects funded by the Commission have specifically ad dressed the issue of 
vehicle compatibility. The project VC-C OMPAT (Improvement of Vehicle Crash 
Compatibility through the Development of Cras h Test procedures), funded under the Fifth 
Framework Programme, aimed at developing cras h test procedures regarding car-to-car and 
car-to-truck impact, in order to lead to an  improvement in vehicle crash compatibility. 
It accomplished the following specific tasks: 
- drawing up a suite of draft test procedur es and associated performance criteria; 
- building a framework for a cras h compatibility rating system; 
- improving the understanding for vehicle crash co mpatibility with general recommendations 
for the design of compatible cars; 
- identifying the benefits and costs of impr oved compatibility for both cars and trucks. 
Taking into account the VC-COMPA T project activities,  the project FIMCAR deepened the 
research, testing different approaches for the assessment of compatibility. Both are composed of an off-set and a full overlap test procedure. In addition another approach (tests with a moving deformable barrier) is getting more a nd more in the focus of present research 
programmes. Within this project different off- set, full overlap and MDB test procedures are 
analysed in order to propose a compatibility assessment approach which will be accepted and 
shared by the involved industry and research organisations. The development work will be accompanied by harmonisation activities to incl ude research results from outside the 
consortium and to early disseminate the project outcomes. Beside the research carried out in 
the projects mentioned above, an important in centive for implementing technical measures 
aimed at vehicles compatibility comes from EuroNCAP, which tests each vehicle simulating 
car-to-car frontal and side impacts. A test to assess car-to-truck impacts has not been 
developed in the framework of Euro NCAP ye t. Calculated on EU27 CARE data, excluding 
BG, LT, RO, SI, SK (not available). Duration of the project VC-COMPAT:  from 1 March 2003 to 1 March 2006. 
Duration of the project FIMCAR: from 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2012. 
Specific topic: vehicle crash compatibility 
Type of impact: direct 
Contribution to road safety: high results - Concerning car to car impact, it is estimated (VC-
COMPAT, 2007) that improved fr ontal compatibility could save between 721 and 1.332 lives 
                                                
 
11 Calculated on EU27 CARE data, excludi ng BG, LT, RO, SI, SK (not available). 
EN 25   EN and could reduce seriously injured casual ties between 5.128 and 15.383 per year in the 
EU1512. 
Consistency with other measures: the scope of this measure is consistent with the action 
carried out by EuroNCAP.  What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): de measure should be continued. 
Measure 28
 
Examine the impact on road safety  of the proliferation of 4x4s , sports utility vehicles and 
multi-purpose vehicles 
Objective : support policy-making. 
Description: The number of 4x4s, multi-purpose vehicles  (MPV) and sport utility vehicles 
(SUV) is growing. For example, in western Eu rope (EU15 and EFTA countries) the share of 
4x4 in new car registrations has been significantl y growing since the end of the Nineties, from 
about 3% of all the cars re gistered in 1997 to about 10%  in 2007 (ACEA statistics13). Between 
2008 and 2009 this share showed a reduction to 8% reasonably attributable to economic 
slowdown, but it can be expected to increase again once consumers’ confidence recovers. The 
issue is that the safety and environmental perf ormance of these vehicles are not in line with 
modern European passenger cars. According to a recent study c onducted in the US (Insurance 
Institute for highway safety, 2007), cars almost always have lowe r death rates than pickups or 
SUVs. A first contribution to the analysis of th e impact on road safety of 4x4s, sports utility 
vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles was developed in the framework of the project ROLLOVER (Improvement of rollover safety for passenger vehicles), funded under the Fifth 
Framework Programme. The project aimed to de velop effective rollover systems in a cost 
efficient manner in order to provide increased occupant safety. It c overed various types of 
rollover accidents, including injury mechanisms and protection methods, targeting passenger 
cars, SUV, MPV and Minivans. The main resu lts have been an electronically rollover 
database and the categorization on rollover scenarios, best pract ice instruction for numerical 
and experimental test methods and a physical demonstrator on rollover occupant safety. Later 
on, the Commission funded a research project spec ifically addressed to the aim of this 
measure. The project IMPROVER (Impact Assessme nt of Road Safety Measures for Vehicles 
and Road Equipment), and in particular the S ubproject 1, examined the impact on road safety 
(and the environmental issues) due to the incr easing use of sports utility and multi-purpose 
vehicles.  Duration of the project  ROLLOVER: from 1 Ju ly 2002 to 30 June 2005. 
Duration of the project IMPROVER: from 23 Nove mber 2004 to 23 May 2006. 
Specific topic: vehicle crash compatibility 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety : low results  
Consistency with other measures: the scope of this measure is strictly linked with the 
enhancement of vehicle compatibility (see Me asure 27). The research implementation is 
closely connected with the studies carried out in the framework of Measure 56 (examine the 
impact of the growing use of small comm ercial vehicles and company vehicles). 
Outcomes 
The research carried out within the proj ect IMPROVER (IMPROVER, 2006) showed that 
there is a higher safety risk with SUVs in co llisions with other road users as compared to 
collisions between other passenger cars and othe r road users. Instead, there are no distinctive 
trends observable for the MPV car category. The s ource of this higher safety risk in road 
accidents is the misalignment of crashworthy st ructures, significant mass differences between 
                                                
 
12 Analysis based on UK and German accident data only.  
13 ACEA does not provide specific da ta for SUVs and MPVs categories. 
EN 26   EN the SUV and the other vehicles, and incompatible  structural stiffness. Besides the safety 
aspects, there is concern that SUVs and MPVs might have a poorer environmental 
performance than other cars. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the increase of SUVs and MPVs in the EU 
countries should be further monitored and inve stigated. To this end, a clear distinction 
between passenger cars and SUVs in sales numbers would be helpful. 
Measure 29
 
Examine the wide-scale use of day time running lights on all vehicles 
Objective : assessing the use of daytime running li ghts on vehicles in Member States. 
Description: In 2006 there were fourteen European c ountries with mandatory use of daytime 
running lights (DRL). Some Member States recommend the use of DRL and are waiting for 
harmonised European legislation. The consu ltation paper “Saving Lives with Daytime 
Running Lights” (EC, Directorate General for Energy and Transport, 2006) sought views on 
the mandatory use and the installation of automa tic dedicated DRL on all motor vehicles (also 
trucks and busses, mobile machinery, small four-wheeled vehicles, tractors, etc.) in 
circulation on EU roads. The report “Road Safe ty Performance Indicators: Theory” (Hakkert 
et al, 2007) provided details abou t the theory behind the devel opment of safety performance 
indicators (SPIs) in seven predefined road safety domains, including daytime running lights 
(DRL). The report “Safety Performance Indi cators for Daytime Running Lights: Theory 
Update” (Hollo P., Gitelm an V., 2008) presented an update to  the basic SPIs theory report, in 
part concerning the development of the DRL SP Is. This report summed up the general theory 
behind the development of the DRL SPIs, includi ng a more detailed insight into the reported 
effects of DRL on vulnerable road users (ped estrians, two-wheelers). It is noteworthy to 
mention the European Commission Directive 20 08/89 which amended, for the purposes of its 
adaptation to technical pr ogress, the Council Directiv e 76/756/EEC concerning the 
installation of lighting and light-signalling device s on motor vehicles and their trailers. At the 
basis for Directive 2008/89 ther e were the results of the pr oject DRL, funded by DG TREN 
and carried out from 1 January 2003 to 1 January 2004. 
State of implementation 
The EC consultation paper was carried out in 2006, the report “Safety Pe rformance Indicators 
for Daytime Running Lights: Theory Update” in 2008. Directive 2008/8914 has been 
emanated on the 24 September 2008 with effect from 7 February 2011. 
Specific topic: Active safety of vehicles 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is connected with Measure 30 and 31 aimed 
at improving the visibility of the vehicles. 
Outcomes 
The conclusions of the EC consultation paper can be summarised as follows: 
- Research indicates that DRL could help savi ng between 1.200 and 2.0 00 lives per year on 
EU roads. From an environmental and technical as  well as from a road safety point of view, 
there is a strong case for moving forward with a techni cal requirement to equip all vehicles 
with automatic dedicated daytime running lights. 
- In order to deploy the positive effects of  DRL as quickly and thoroughly as possible, 
consideration should also be given to a user requirement to use dipped-beam headlights or 
retrofitted dedicated DRL even without an automatic switch and light sensors. 
- In order to provide for nece ssary flexibility, a legislative initiative on DRL could foresee a 
fixed date for the transposition of the technical requirement to install automatic dedicated 
                                                 
14 OJ L 257, 25.9.2008, p. 14–15. 
EN 27   EN DRL on new vehicles and an appropriate period of time to transpose th e user requirement for 
existing vehicles. The conclusions of the repor t “Safety Performance Indicators for Daytime 
Running Lights: Theory Update” are: 
- Based on the literature review and recent expe riences of several Europ ean countries, it can 
be stated that DRL can contribute to the impr ovement of road safety. There is no scientific 
evidence for the frequently mentioned negative effects for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, 
cyclists or motorcyclists). 
- The widespread introduction of DRL could be optimal if the behavioural measures for older 
vehicles are coincided with the installation of  an advanced DRL unit on new cars. This would 
result in a combination of accident casualt y reduction and reduced vehicle emission, 
especially when LED lamps are used. However,  vehicle requirements can only be introduced 
at the EU level. 
- The DRL SPIs are defined as the percentage of  vehicles using daytime running lights, where 
the value is estimated for different road ca tegories and for different  vehicle types. The 
background information on the DRL legislation is  essential for a corre ct interpretation and 
comparison of the results. For example, comp aring the countries’ DRL usage rates it is 
reasonable to take into account  whether the countries have a law/ regulation on obligatory use 
of DRL and if they do, when and where. 
- Besides, in countries where automatic DR L was introduced a long time ago (e.g. Sweden, 
Norway) current DRL usage rate is close to 100 %, thus the DRL usage rate as a behavioural 
safety performance indicator does not have practic al implications any mo re. In general, once 
the option of automatic DRL is introduced Eur ope-wide, the DRL indicat ors will lose their 
importance as an indicator of sa fety performance. Directive 2008 /89 introduces the obligation 
for fitting dedicated daytime running lights on moto r vehicles in order to increase road safety 
by improving the conspicuity of these vehicles . As the Directive 2008 /89 addresses only the 
new vehicles, the impact of this measure de pends on the renewal of the EU vehicle fleet. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): possible solutions regarding the conspicuity 
of older vehicles could be investigated.  
Measure 30  
Improve the visibility of heavy duty vehicles 
Objective : increasing safety performances of HGVs. 
Description: Crash investigations show that nearly 5% of severe truck accidents can be traced 
back to poor conspicuity of the truck or its trailer at night. These accidents can be 
characterised by the fact that car drivers often fail to recognise trucks or truck combinations 
driving ahead of them. In most cases trucks ar e in slow motion, are entering the road or are 
turning off the road. Different studies showed  that trucks can be rendered much more 
conspicuous by marking their sides and rear us ing retro reflective marking tape. Conspicuity 
marking tape is a high performance retro refl ective tape which reflects most of the light 
falling onto it back towards the light sour ce. The study “Conspicuity of Heavy Goods 
Vehicles” recommends equipping th e side and rear of vehicles heavier than 3.5 tons with a 
contour marking covering at leas t 80% of each side and with a line marking when contour 
marking is impossible. The study also recomme nds equipping all new ve hicles with contour 
markings and, for the existing vehicle fleet, a tr ansition period for retrofitting of at least 
six years. According to the study, this would save 165 lives , 857 serious injuries and 1.836 
light injuries per year in the EU-15, which would represent a saving of 390 millions euro. 
In order to increase road safety  by improving the conspicuity of la rge trucks and their trailers, 
the European Commission eman ated the Directive 2007/3515 which amended, for the 
                                                 
15 OJ L 157, 19.6.2007, p. 14–16. 
EN 28   EN purposes of its adaptation to technical progress, Council Directive 76/ 756/EEC concerning the 
installation of lighting and light-signalling devices on moto r vehicles and their trailers. 
The results of project CONSPICUITY, funded by DG TREN and regarding the conspicuity of 
heavy good vehicles, have been the basis for the Directive 2007/35. It is worth to mention 
also the project CLARESCO, funded by DG RTD, aimed at improving traffic safety and truck 
and car drivers’ comfort during night time driving. Directive 2007/35 was emanated on the 18 J une 2007 with effect from 10 July 2011. 
Duration of the project CLARESCO : from 1 June 2002 to 31 May 2005. 
Duration of the project CONSPICUITY: from 1 December 2003 to 1 December 2004. 
Specific topic: accident prevention 
Type of impact: direct 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with Measure 29 as it aims to 
improving the visibility of vehicles, in  particular of heavy duty vehicles. 
Outcomes 
The Directive 2007/35 introduced the obligation for fitting retro reflective marking on large 
trucks and their trailers vehicles. Project  CLARESCO provided for safety, ergonomics and 
comfort recommendations concerning new lighting technologies for truck and car. 
In 2004, the European Commission has commis sioned a study (TÜV Rheinland, Conspicuity 
of Heavy Goods Vehicles) which indicates a po sitive benefit-cost ratio (between 2 and 4) 
when the tape is applied to new goods vehicles  with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 
tons. The highest benefit-cost ratio was achieve d for vehicles exceeding 12 tons. This is due 
to the fact that larger goods vehicles are above-av erage involved in acci dents compared to 
their share in the vehicle stock. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring the implementation of 
Commission Directive 2007/ 35 at national level. 
Measure 31
 
Eliminate blind spots towards the rear for drivers of heavy duty vehicles  
Objective : increasing safety performances of HGVs. 
Description: A number of accidents are caused by driv ers of heavy goods vehicles who are 
not aware that other road users are very close to or beside their vehicle. These accidents are 
often related to a change of di rection at crossings, junctions or roundabouts when drivers fail 
to detect other road users in the blind spots which exist in the area immediately around their 
vehicles. It is estimated that  every year about 400 people in  Europe are killed in such 
circumstances, most of them be ing vulnerable road users such as cyclists, motorcyclists and 
pedestrians. Directive 2003/97/EC16 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, whilst 
having great potential for reducing the number of casualties,  affects only newly registered 
vehicles. In particular according to this  Directive since 2006 new vehicle types and 
respectively since 2007 new vehicles can only be granted approval by  the Member States’ 
authorities if they are equipped with a set of mirrors and other systems of indirect fulfilling 
certain requirements in order to reduce thei r blind spots. For purposes of adaptation to 
technical progress, Dir ective 2003/97/EC was ame nded by Commission Directive 
2005/27/EC of 29 March 2005. Directive 2007/38/EC17 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council regards vehicles which were already in ci rculation and are therefore not subject to the 
obligations set out in Direct ive 2003/97/EC. The project MIRRO RS constituted the basis for 
                                                 
16 OJ L 25, 29.1.2004, p. 1–45. 
17 OJ L 184, 14.7.2007, p. 25–28. 
EN 29   EN Directive 2007/38/EC. In fact th e objective of the study was to assess the consequences of 
extending the legislation regarding blind spot mirro rs not only to new vehicles, but also to the 
existing ones. 
State of implementation 
Directive 2007/38/EC was emanat ed on 11 July 2007 with  effect from 6 August 2007 and not 
later than 31 March 2009. Duration of project MIRRORS: fr om 1 December 2003 to 1 June 2004. 
Specific topic: accident prevention 
Type of impact: direct. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results  
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with all the active safety 
actions aimed at making easier the driving task and helping drivers to face dangerous road situations. 
Outcomes 
In the framework of project MIRRORS a cost-b enefit analysis of blind spot mirrors was 
carried out. The main recommendation of the anal ysis was to introduce a legislation for the 
retrofitting of mirrors for both new and existin g heavy good vehicles as soon as possible in 
order to obtain the maximum benefit. Direc tives 2003/97/EC and 2007/38/ EC introduced the 
obligation for the retrofitting of  mirrors to heavy good vehicles registered in the European 
Community. In the EC consultation paper “Fitti ng blind-spot mirrors on existing trucks” of 
2006 it was estimated that if a legal retrofitti ng obligation had entered into force by 2008 for 
the relevant heavy goods vehi cle population in operation since 1998, an extra 1.300 lives on 
European roads would have been saved until 2020. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring of the correct implementation of 
Directives 2003/97/EC and 2007/38/EC. Ensuring that the roadworthiness tests check the 
correct positioning of mirrors. Investigating the possible difficulties of drivers to use the 
mirrors. 
Measure 32
 
Assess measures to reduce tyre-related accidents 
Objective : increasing safety performances of vehicles. 
Description: During last year EC proposals regarding issues related to  tyres were carried out. 
In particular the EC proposal COM (2008)316 concerns type-approval requirements for the 
general safety of motor vehicles. The general objective of such a proposal is to lay down 
harmonised rules on the construction of moto r vehicles with a view to ensuring the 
functioning of the internal market while at th e same time providing a high level of safety and 
environmental protection. The proposal aims at enhancing the safety of vehicles by requiring 
the mandatory fitting of some advanced safe ty features. In addition, the EC proposed a 
legislative measure on consumer information con cerning the labelling of tyres with respect to 
fuel efficiency and other essential parameters. This has resulted in Regulation (EC) 1222/2009 
of the European Parliament and the Council on the labelling of tyres with respect to fuel 
efficiency and other essential parameters18. Such a labelling scheme for tyres at EU level aims 
to respond to the suboptimal market transformati on towards fuel efficient tyres arising from 
lack of information. It would allow consumers to make an informed choice,  give incentives to 
tyre manufacturers to upgrade their products and contribute to awareness-raisi ng. It is also 
noteworthy to mention the project  APOLLO whose goal was to create an intelligent tyre for 
improving road traffic safety. The objectives we re met by integrating innovative sensors into 
tyres for monitoring tyre condition, road condition and tyre-road condition, developing new solutions for wireless communication between tyre and vehicle and a battery-less power 
                                                
 
18 OJ L 342/46. 
EN 30   EN supply, constructing an “intellige nt” system by integrating all electronic components. Other 
projects to be mentioned are the project TYROSAFE (TYre and Road surface Optimisation 
for Skid resistance And Further Effects) and the project ITARI (Integrated Tyre and Road 
Interaction), regarding the implem entation of new road surfaces. 
The proposed EC measures are sche duled to take effect by year 2012. 
Duration of the project APOLLO: from 1 March 2002 to 31 May 2005. Duration of the project ITARI: from  1 February 2004 to 31 January 2007. 
Duration of the project TYROSAFE: from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2010. 
Specific topic: accident prevention  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: no results 
Consistency with other measures: This measure is consistent with the general aim of 
increasing road safety through the improvement of the driving conditions of the vehicles. 
Outcomes 
The minimum requirements governing rolling resist ance, wet grip and ex ternal rolling noise 
provided in the EC Regulation 1222/2009, in fo rce as of November 2012, would guarantee 
standard levels of tyre quality, while further improvements above these levels would be driven by the labelling scheme present in the other mentioned EC proposal. 
The main outcome of the project APOLLO is a novel, innovative and verified prototype of an 
intelligent tyre system consisting of a tyre, an integrated sensor system, a wireless 
communication interface and a battery-free power supply. 
Contribution to road safety: no results. 
Description of the impact: if directives based on the descri bed proposal were carried out and 
“intelligent” tyres were us ed, the impact on road safety could become relevant. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the measure could be continued, monitoring 
the way in which the informati on is provided to car users. 
Measure 33
 
Examine driver impairment detec tion devices, e.g. alcohol igniti on interlocks (‘alcolocks’) 
and driver fatigue detectors 
Objective : increasing road safety by avoi ding impaired people to drive. 
Description: The Project ALCOLOCK - Alcolock implementation in the European Union 
had the aim to assess the practic al, psychological, social and beha vioural impact of alcolocks 
(alcohol activated vehicle imm obilizer) by interviewing the driv ers about their experience. 
The ALCOLOCK project started in 2004 and e nded in 2006. Nowadays the technology for 
driver impairment detection devices is to  be considered not sufficiently mature. 
Outcomes: Regarding the project ALCOLOCK , the European trials showed that it is feasible 
to implement alcolocks in different commer cial and non-commercial contexts, but that a 
careful preparation of the inclus ion process and the follow-up pr ocedures is necessary. Due to 
the limited number of participan ts and contexts in which the devices were presently tested, 
these results and conclusions obviously need furt her confirmation in future research. The most 
important conclusions regarding the impact of th e alcolock on the vari ous dimensions studied 
are that: 
- Alcolocks appear to be relatively practi cable in both commerci al and non-commercial 
contexts. Within the study very few technical pr oblems were encountered in any of the three 
commercial trials, whereas technical malfunc tions of the devices occurred relatively 
frequently in the non-commercial trials. Th e most important conclusion regarding the 
practical impact of the devices is that the majo rity of the drivers found it easy or very easy to 
use the alcolock and experienced little or no hi ndrance from the device. In this respect, it 
needs to be underscored, however , that the programme requireme nts were less strict in the 
non-commercial trials. It still needs to be test ed whether the use of alcolocks with optimal 
EN 31   EN circumvention prevention feat ures would still be experi enced as equally usable by 
professional drivers. - The general acceptance of alcolocks was good or very good in both commercial and non-commercial trials and remained high throughout th e entire twelve months  of the trial. The 
impact of the alcolocks on psyc hological aspects such  as drinking habits  or drink-driving 
attitudes was very difficult to assess with the present methodology. From the non-commercial 
trials there were indications that the alcolock  programme had a positive impact on the drivers 
intentions, but no clear indicati ons that the alcolock had a decisive impact on the driver’s 
actual behaviour. - Regarding the behavioural impact of the alco lock, the most striking difference between the 
commercial and non-commercial trials was the incidence of positive breath tests. In the 
commercial trials relatively few positive tests were recorded and almost all these tests seem to 
be due to deliberate tests of the device. All to gether the differences in the occurrence of 
positive tests seem mainly due to the procedures used to assure the follow-up of the results. 
- Regarding the social or sociological impact of  the alcolocks, the truck drivers’ clientele 
appeared in general rather i ndifferent towards the alcoloc k, whereas bus passengers had a 
generally positive attitude towards the devices.  This confirmed the hypothesis that alcolocks 
may be marketed as an element of quality improvement. Contrary to the commercial trials, the 
privacy infringing aspect of the alcolock is perc eived as a crucial disadvantage of the alcolock 
by offenders and alcohol dependent participants. 
- An additional review of the literature revealed the most important factors influencing 
acceptance, implementation, participation and comp liance. These factors should also be taken 
into account when implementing large-scale alcolock programmes in Europe. From the 
similarities and differences between commerc ial and non-commercial contexts for alcolock 
implementation, it became clear that the impact  of the alcolocks depends on the specific 
circumstances in which the alcolock is used . With respect to these circumstances, the 
commercial or non-commercial character is onl y one element. The specific programme 
conditions that are defined for the alcolock user s, the specific procedures used to follow-up 
the test-results and the possible circumventions , the specific consequences of all the possible 
events and the specific social or commercial environment and so ciety in which the alcolock is 
used, are equally important factors determining the impact of the alcolock. All these factors 
will have to be taken into account in fu ture commercial and non-commercial alcolock 
applications in Europe. 
Effectiveness: low. 
According to FIA, systems currently developed can easily be circumvented. 
Specific topic: impaired driving 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: no results 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with the other measures 
addressing the issue of impaired driving (Measures 12 and 49). What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the measure should be continued. Alcolocks 
could be used for very specific targets, as in  commercial transport or for young novice drivers. 
Measure 34
 
Examine national trials of intelligent speed adaptation devices and assess their 
acceptability to the public 
Objective: researching to increase active vehicle safety. 
Description: In-vehicle speed information and warn ing system can contribute to improved 
road safety by: - increasing drivers' awareness of speed limits  and speed recommendations, both static and 
variable (according to dynamic environmental conditions such as weather, traffic, road 
conditions, etc.); 
EN 32   EN - reducing the number of vehi cles with non-adapte d speed and consequently reduce the 
number of speed-related accidents, especially in speed-sensitive locations with vulnerable 
users, as urban areas; - providing system solutions to support the implementation of intelligent speed limits that will contribute to maximising traffic flows on ex isting infrastructure by dynamically adapting 
speed limits. In order to investigate the first prio rity issues to be addressed at the European 
level in the domain of intelligent speed adaptation devices, the European Commission 
launched the project SpeedAlert (Harmonising the in-vehicle speed alert concept definition). The specific objectives of the study on speed warning systems were: - establishing a common classification of speed  limits in Europe relevant to system; 
- defining the system and service requirements of in-vehicle speed alert system; - defining functional specification; - harmonising definition of speed alert concepts; - identifying requirement  for standardisation. 
The project saw the participation of key stak eholders from public and private sectors. 
With regard to the assessment of the public ac ceptance of inte lligent speed adaptation (ISA) 
systems, the SARTRE survey (SARTRE, 2004)  illustrated that around a quarter of the 
European drivers believes that it is “very us eful” to have a device th at restrains you from 
exceeding speed limits, just a bit lower than fo r devices preventing drink-driving and driving 
when fatigued. Moreover, to assess the polit ical acceptance of ISA systems, the EU-funded 
PROSPER project (project for research on speed adaptation policies on European roads) 
performed a survey among different stakeholde rs (politicians, governmental institutes, 
research institutes, pressure groups and comme rcial groups) in eight EU countries. It is 
reported that ISA is generally seen as an effect ive safety measure. Fina lly, it has to be noted 
that practical experiments in Sweden and the Netherlands have shown that the acceptance of 
ISA increases if concrete experience  with it has been gained (ERSO). 
Duration of the project SpeedAlert: from 1 May 2004 to 1 April 2005. 
Duration of the project PROSPER: fr om 1 January 2003 to 1 December 2005. 
Speed alert applications ar e entering into deployment. 
The measure aims to study the possible implementation of intelligent speed adaptation devices, with the final objective of increasing drivers awareness of speed limits, therefore 
reducing the number of vehicles  with non-adapted speed and c onsequently the number of 
speed related accidents. 
Specific topic: accident prevention 
Type of impact: indirect  
Contribution to road safety: high results; see table:  
Table A. 4: Safety benefits by  application type of SpeedAlert 
 
 
EN 33   EN Consistency with other measures: in general, this measure is  connected with the on-going 
RTD activities related to infras tructure-vehicle Communication (for example, the projects 
FRICTION and TRACKSS), intelligent roads (Measure 46) and incremental map updating 
(for example, the project FEEDMAP). SpeedAler t’s outcome is closely linked with the scope 
of the eSafety initiative (Measure 37), which aims to accelerate the development, deployment 
and use of Intelligent Vehicle Safety Systems which use information and communication technologies to increase road safety and redu ce the number of accidents on Europe’s roads, 
and in particular with the Digital Maps Work ing Group. Also, the application of ISA systems 
is linked to the implementation of the MAPS&ADAS subproject, within the PReVENT 
Integrated Project, which is  developing, testing and validating approp riate methods with 
regard to the use of digital maps. 
Outcomes 
The SpeedAlert project produced 16 deliverable s, available on the website, and a SpeedAlert 
Forum was organised after the project's completion. The main results of SpeedAlert are: 
1. Classification of speed limit categories releva nt to speed alert applications: a common set 
of speed limits categories have been develope d, considering both genera l and specific speed 
limits (the latter being fixed or variables). Thes e categories were classi fied over the different 
type of roads and compared across different EU  countries. The survey showed that throughout 
Europe an extensive array of speed limits are used. 2. End-user system and service requir ements for speed alert applications. 
3. Functional architecture and associ ated technical building blocks. 
4. List of recommendations to support successful  implementation of speed alert applications. 
5. Roadmap for deployment taking into account user  needs, technical feas ibility and available 
solutions. 6. General business aspects for different actors and benefits. 7. Requirements for standardisation. 
8. Consolidation of broad consensus through  the Consultation Gro up and its dedicated 
workshops.  Regarding public acceptability, different national tr ials have shown that users are in favour of 
ISA applications as they s upport their driving and prevent involuntary speeding and possible 
fines. However, to realize a broad market ta ke-up, further work still needs to be done. 
According to PROSPER’s survey (PROSPER, 2004), the introduction of ISA devices is 
generally preferred to be implemented among a ll driver groups, on all road types and on a 
mandatory basis. Barriers to the implementation of ISA that were identified included technical 
functioning, applicability to  the whole road networ k and liability issues. 
Description of the impact: speed alert applications can be be neficial for road safety because 
they lead to a lower average speed and to re duced speed variance and they reduce amount of 
maximum speed violations. Moreover, drivers can get a better insight into risk perception in 
relation to speed. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): there are still remaining issues that need to 
be resolved before a general Eur opean deployment can be realised: 
- ensure the speed limit data collection, access a nd maintenance at a Eu ropean level by means 
of appropriate cooperation betw een public authorities and serv ice providers. Motorways and 
main roads are currently generally integrated in  digital maps, but speed limits for the complete 
road networks still need to be procured; 
- provide a European harmonised set of variable speed limits enabling drivers to adapt their 
speed according to the prevailing traffic conditions; - develop and implement a harmonised infrastruc ture-vehicle communication that will enable 
a large range of safety and mobility related applications. Analyse the Human Machine Interface and evaluate how to interact with  the driver and other on-board applications; 
EN 34   EN - promote tax or insurance in centives to strengthen end-user  interest in speed alert 
applications;  - promote, together with the automotive indus try, the ISA system application as standard 
option in all new cars; - examine the acceptability, feasibility and impacts of a mandatory fitting of intelligent speed 
adaptation systems to ensure cars do not go fast er than 150 km/h, that is 15% faster than the 
highest enforceable or recommended speed limit in any EU Member State, also in the light of 
environmental objectives (European Federa tion for Transport and Environment, 2007). 
Measure 35
 
Improved motorcycle safety through legislatio n or voluntary agreements with the industry 
Objective: making motorcycles safer. 
Description:  Two meetings of the Motorcycle Working Group MCWG/ MVEG on 
Motorcycles have been held, respectively on 27 February 2009 a nd on 29 June 2009. A public 
consultation was launched in December 2008 on the Commission’s website and ended on 28 
February 2009. Its purpose was to gather information and views from all relevant stakeholders, including public bodies, the genera l public, industry and business associations, 
on the specific elements to be assessed for th e future legislative framework on two-, three- 
and four wheel vehicles of the L category, e nvisaged by the Commission services. These key 
issues concerning 2-, 3- and 4- wheel vehicles of the L-catego ry are in general linked with: 
- Complexity of the current legislation for L- category vehicles. The current legislative text 
consists of a framework dire ctive (Directive 2002/ 24/EC) and 14 associated implementing 
directives, all of which have been amended over time. - High level of emissions. It is estimated that, apart from other aspects, the contribution of L-
category vehicles to hydrocarbon emissions will rise to approximately 55% of total 
hydrocarbons emitted by all road transport vehicl es in 2020, if no additiona l measures will be 
introduced. This is mainly due to the signif icant reduction in emissions from other road 
transport categories like pa ssenger cars and trucks. 
- Road safety, high number of fatal ities and seriously injured riders. 
In 2006, L-category vehicles accounted for 2% of distance travelled, but for 16% of road deaths. The fatality rate per million kilometres travelled is, on average, 18 times greater than 
for passenger cars. Furthermore, while other ve hicle modes have shown significant decreases 
in fatalities and serious injuri es over time, the figures for L-category vehicles have fallen 
much less, or have remained static. The pub lic consultation was ba sed on one questionnaire 
structured around three main objectives of th e legislative proposal: simplification of the 
legislation (better regulation) to reduce the cu rrent complexity, addressing the high level of 
emissions and introducing safety measures. With regard to motorcycles safety, the projects 
PISA (Powered two- wheeler Integrated Sa fety) and SIM (Safety in Motion), funded by DG 
RTD, are relevant. The project PISA concer ns the safety improvements for drivers and 
passengers of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) mo torcycles and mopeds. The project SIM deals 
with the development of an innovative concept of  PTW vehicle with new safety devices. It is 
also noteworthy to mention Di rective 2009/67/EC of the Europe an Parliament and of the 
Council on the installation of lighting and light -signalling devices on two or three-wheel 
motor vehicles, which is in force since 1.01.2010. It  aims to increase motorcycles’ safety by 
improving their conspicuity. Duration of the project PISA: from 1 June 2006 to 31 November 2009. Duration of the project SIM: from  1 September 2006 to 31 August 2009. 
Specific topic: power-two wheel 
Type of impact: direct 
Contribution to road safety: low result; however, improving the safety for one of the most 
vulnerable groups of road users, i.e. the mo torcyclists, is expected to have a considerable 
impact on road safety. 
EN 35   EN Consistency with other measures: the measure aims to improve the safety of motorcyclists 
and it is consistent with the passive safety  measure regarding the use of crash helmets 
(Measure 18). 
Outcomes 
Directive 2009/67/EC provides for technical prescr iptions regarding the vi sibility of two or 
three-wheel motor vehicles. The main outcome of the meetings and the public consultation 
was a exchange of views regarding: a new regulatory framework on two and three-wheel 
motor vehicles; new emission m easures, and possible new safety measures such as the 
mandatory fitting of the anti-lock Braking Sy stems (ABS), anti-tampering measures and the 
use of hydrogen vehicles. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): this measure should be continued, both 
through legislation and on a voluntary basis. 
Measure 36
  
Examine the benefits of harmonising the approv al of adaptations to vehicles for persons 
with reduced mobility 
Objective: increasing active vehicle safety. 
Description : The project QUAVADIS was a pan-European initiative to improve the Quality 
and Use Aspects of Vehicle Adaptations for DISa bled. The overall objectives of the project 
were: - to stimulate knowledge exchange  in the field of physically di sabled drivers and their need 
for car adaptations; - to establish statistics on the use of codes and the disabled drivers population in Europe; 
- to draw up criteria for safe ty and performance of car-adapt ations that are suitable to 
compensate for the driver’s disability accordin g to the restrictive conditions (codes) on the 
driving licence. The project PORTARE is  a voluntary cooperati on between a group of 
European experts and its main objective is to ease  mobility for disabled drivers. In particular 
the project aims to make the existing know ledge on assessment available by describing: 
- the consequences related to fitness to  drive for different illness categories 
- the criteria for assessment in relation to these consequences - the criteria for on-road testing in relation to the consequences 
- methods to enable assessors to supply th e relevant information to decision makers 
Furthermore, the project PORTARE aims to stim ulate implementation in all EU countries by 
means of: - describing the knowledge and skills needed by a ssessors to assess the dr iver / applicant and 
to supply the relevant information for a decision to the authorities; 
- train-the-trainer workshops for informa tion exchange amongst experts in the EU; 
- establishment of an EU organisation for assessment and on-road testing of drivers / 
applicants with physical a nd/or cognitive limitations 
The QUAVADIS project started in Janua ry 2001 and was completed by June 2003. 
Specific topic: accident prevention 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: low results 
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with the general aim of 
improving the driving cond itions of the vehicles. 
Outcomes 
The main results of QUAVADIS project were a de scription of the proce dures for obtaining or 
renewing a driving licence for ci tizens with a (physical) disabil ity in the different Member 
States of the European Community, and an ex tensive Code of Practice for car adaptations 
structured in line with the list of harmoni sed Community codes on the driving licence. 
Description of the impact: the introduction of proper car-adapt ations is expected to make 
easier the driving task of persons with redu ced mobility, thus increasing road safety. 
EN 36   EN What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): studies should be deepened. 
Measure 37  
Adopt a long-term plan concerni ng information and communicati on systems in the field of 
road safety and establish the necessary re gulatory framework for implementing such 
systems 
Objective: improving vehicles safety through the adoption of information and 
communication systems. Description: Advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be 
incorporated into onboard “Intel ligent Vehicle Systems”, offe ring new solutions to today’s 
transport problems. These high-tech  systems have great potential to: 
- help drivers prevent or avoid traffic accidents; - mitigate the consequences of accidents that do occur; - provide drivers with real time information about traffic on road ne tworks, thereby avoiding 
congestion; - find the most efficient routes for any journey; 
- optimise engine performance, thus improving overall energy efficiency. 
In February 2006 the European Commission launc hed the “Intelligent Car Initiative”, to 
remove bottlenecks in rolling out intelligent syst ems and to speed the development of smarter, 
safer and cleaner transport for Europe. This will be done by: 
- building consensus among all the key players involved: citizens, Member States, service 
providers and the car industry; - removing legal and institutional barriers; - stimulating consumer demand for the new onboard technologies. The Intelligent Car Initiative will accelerate th e deployment of intellig ent vehicle systems on 
European and international markets, using a mix of policy, resear ch and communications 
instruments to: 
- ensure interoperability acro ss different EU countries and harmonise technical solutions 
through a comprehensive European approach; - support ICT-based research  and development in the area of transport and faci litate the take-
up and use of research results; - raise awareness among consumers and decisi on-makers of the poten tial benefits of ICT-
based solutions.  The eSafety initiative is the first pillar of the In telligent Car Initiative. It is a joint initiative of 
the European Commission, industry and other stakeholders. It aims to accelerate the 
development, deployment and use of intelligent vehicle safety systems that use information & 
communication technologies to increase road safety and reduce the number of accidents on 
Europe’s roads. In the framework of the Pr ogramme Creating a User-friendly information 
society (IST), several proj ects have been carried out regarding information and 
communication systems. Worth mentioning are the projects: CIBERCARS2, eIMPACT, 
eSAFETYSUPPORT, ESCOPE (that st rengthened the activities of the eSafety initiative), 
HIGHWAY, HUMANIST, PREVENT. In additi on, the projects ASSESS and SAFETRIP are 
being carried out in the framework of Road safety researches FP7 – DG RTD. Finally, the 
project BE SAFETY AW ARE (Bringing eSafety to the mark et through awareness) aimed at 
organising information campaigns to raise aw areness among policy-makers and the general 
public on the benefits of e-safety systems, in  order to accelerate th e introduction of these 
electronic life-saving technologies in the market , while the project EVI (Electronic vehicle 
identification) investigated the feasibility of  a Europe-wide electronic vehicle identification 
system. At the legislative side, EC propos al COM (2008) 887, which is a proposal for a 
directive of the European Parliament and of  the Council, lays down the framework for the 
deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces 
EN 37   EN with other transport modes. The Intelligent Car Initiative was launc hed in February 2006, 
while projects of the IST Programme have  been carried out in the years 2003-2008. 
Specific topic: accident prevention 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: high results.  The Intelligent Car Initiative and the information 
gathered with the projects can contribute to the improvement of road safety for a long time. 
Active safety systems could give a considerab le positive contribution to road safety by 
decreasing the number of crashes. Consistency with other measures: the measure is linked with all the active safety actions 
aimed at helping drivers to avoid accidents. 
Outcomes 
The eSafety initiative and the projects carried out have to be considered as a step forward the 
adoption of information and communication syst ems for improving road safety. However, a 
proper regulatory framework for implementing the proposed measures has not yet been 
established. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): this measure should be continued. 
Measure 38 
 
Identify priority areas for the development an d implementation of performance standards 
to optimise the man-machine interface and the road safety potential of telematics 
applications. Ensure compliance with the declar ation of principles concerning the human-
machine interface 
Objective: developing intelligent vehicles. 
Description: With the advent of sophi sticated technol ogy (mobile and portable) and the 
increase in the amount of time spent on the ro ad, the car has become a potential home to many 
different types of systems. Such systems range from those which convey simple information to the driver (for example incident warnings) to those that require the driver to interact with a 
system in order to extract the required functi on (for example a route guidance system). The 
project HASTE (Human Machine In terface And the Safety of Traffic in Europe) had the goal 
of developing methodologies and guidelines for the assessment of In-Vehicle Information 
Systems (IVIS). There is an urgent need  to develop thorough te sting and diagnostic 
procedures for such systems in order to regulat e their inclusion in the vehicle. If no such 
procedures are set up, the driving task may beco me of secondary importance to tasks relating 
to interaction with the system. If such distrac tion occurs, there is evidence that traffic safety 
will be compromised. Another relevant proj ect is EUCLIDE (Enhanced Human-Machine 
Interface for On-Vehicle Inte grated Driving Support System) which aimed to developing an 
reliable integrated driver as sistance support system. The EC funded also other projects for 
enhancing vehicle safety: the projects R OADSENSE, ADASE II, VEESA, AIDE, ATESST, 
EASIS, ASSET-ROAD, INTERACTION, ITERATE. Duration of the HASTE project: from  1 January 2002 until 31 December 2004. 
Duration of the EUCLIDE project : from 1 March 2001 until 31 May 2004. 
The projects ASSET-ROAD, INTERACTION, ITER ATE are expected to be completed in the 
years 2011-2012. The other projects mentioned were completed during the years 2001-2008. 
Specific topic: accident prevention  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with all the actions aimed at 
assisting drivers in order to pr event accidents from occurring. 
Outcomes 
In general the projects carried out provided useful results. Th e project HASTE contributed to 
the development of a valid, reliable and efficient tool that will aid testi ng authorities in their 
safety evaluation of IVIS. The project EUCL IDE developed a driving support system to 
EN 38   EN monitor the area ahead of the dr iver and provide an effective support especially in cases of 
night and adverse weather conditio ns. This system integrates the functionalities of radar and 
far infrared sensors resulting into a highly reliable and efficient system. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the measure needs to be continued. 
Measure 39  
Examine, together with the Member States, the need to include new onboard electronics 
systems in roadworthiness testing 
Objective : improving and maintaining ve hicle safety performance. 
Description: Electronically controlling systems are being fitted in a growing numbers of 
vehicles. Vehicle safety (as well as enviro nmental performance) is thus increasingly 
dependent on the correct functioning of these sy stems. Despite that, at present these systems 
are not part of the mandatory pe riodical technical in spection of vehicles. Also, there is little 
available data relating to the reliability of th e electronic systems and to how they should be 
tested for correct function. The research pr ogramme CITA1 (Research  Study Programme on 
Electronically Controlled Systems on Vehicles) aimed at examining the performance of some 
current systems and at developing test procedur es for the periodic inspections. It included a 
review of post, present and fu ture electronic systems on vehi cles. The work of CITA1 was 
followed by the project IDELSY (Initiative for Di agnosis of Electronic Systems in Motor 
Vehicles), which aimed to develo p test procedures and to test them in order to ensure their 
efficiency and effectiveness. The general target of the project IDELSY was producing 
recommendations to improve the existing Dire ctive 96/96/EC for involving the new vehicle 
technology, which is more and more electronically controlled and relevant for the road safety. 
The study has been carried out by seven technical inspection agencies of three different 
countries. The results of the re search project IDELSY provided  an important input for the 
project AUTOFORE (Study on the future Options  for Roadworthiness Enforcement in the 
European Union) which aimed at analysing futu re strategies of road worthiness actions in 
Europe. The specific purpose of AUTOFORE wa s making proposals and recommendations to 
improve roadworthiness enforcement, in order to ensure that the benefits accruing from the 
original design and manufacture of  vehicles are retained throughout  the life of those vehicles. 
In 2007, the European Commission invited tende rs for a service contract regarding the 
feasibility and impact assessment study on the fu ture evolution of roadworthiness tests for 
motor vehicles, in order to evaluate a review of Directive 96/96/EC. Un fortunately, this call 
for tender failed and had no follow-up. Despite  that, in May 2009, Directive 2009/40/EC on 
roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and th eir trailers repealing Directive 96/96/EC was 
approved. According to the new norm, the anti- lock braking systems have been included 
among the items to be compulsory tested. Howe ver, Electronic Stab ility Control systems 
(ESC) and airbags were not. The need for roadwo rthiness enforcement is greater than ever 
because road safety (as well as environmental pr otection) is now more and more reliant on the 
correct functioning of the new electronic technologies, whic h are increasingly taking over 
aspects of the driver’s tasks as a means of eliminating or mitigati ng the effects of human 
error. With this increased relia nce on advanced technology, the ro le of vehicle roadworthiness 
needs to change. Duration of the project CITA1: from 5 July 1999 to 4 July 2002. 
Duration of the project IDELSY: from 1 January 2004 to 1 December 2005. Duration of the project AUTOFORE: fr om 1 February 2005 to 31 January 2007. 
Specific topic: accident prevention   
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: low results 
Consistency with other measures: 
this measure is tightly connected with Measure 40, which 
aims at determining and encouraging best prac tices to improve the e fficiency of periodic 
compulsory inspections. 
EN 39   EN Outcomes 
According to the CITA1 Report (CITA1, 2001), ev en if electronic com ponents tend to fail 
less frequently than mechanical components in the same system, the failure rate of certain 
systems is important enough to include them in to the annual inspection regime. The study 
concludes that vehicle electronic systems should be tested as part  of the periodic inspection. 
In fact, it is important that all safety critical systems are tested regularly. The final report (CITA1, 2002) presents a cost benefit analysis to assess the value of inspecting electronically 
controlled systems for roadworthiness. Also  the outputs of IDELSY’ s research provided 
support to improve the existing regulations for in cluding the new generation of motor vehicles 
technologies: road safety is strongly influenced  by modern vehicle systems, therefore the safe 
function of those systems should be  part of the European PTI pr ocedure. The key result of the 
AUTOFORE study is a set of proposals for th e future direction of roadworthiness 
enforcement in the European Union. Description of the impact: the growing sophistication of onboard electronic systems could 
lead to increasing problems with the reliabi lity of these devices. According to available 
statistics (CITA1, 2001), it is quite rare that a fa ilure of the electronic systems cause as injury 
accident. However, it is clear that they have the potential to do so and when it happens, 
consequences can be very severe. This is why there is a need for identifying systems that 
would potentially benefit from in clusion in periodic inspections. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): given that the need to include new onboard 
electronic systems in roadworthiness testing has now reached a broad consensus, the coming 
ERSAP 2011-2020 should address the evaluation of possible modification of the existing 
legislative framework. In particular, the ne w Directive 2009/40/EC could be amended to 
include the compulsory testing of safety releva nt electronic systems that are already widely 
fitted, such as airbags and ESC.  
Measure 40 
 
Determine and encourage best practices so as to improve the efficiency of periodic 
compulsory inspections at the lowest cost. 
Objective : improving and maintaining ve hicle safety performance. 
Description Making the periodic compulsory inspections  more efficient is a theme addressed 
by several EC funded projects. Within the fram ework of the project CI TA1 (see Measure 39), 
a specific working group, the Working Group VII,  was set up to study specifically the testing 
of electronically controlled systems, and to exam ine available reliability data and failure rates 
of electronically controlled systems. Possibl e test procedures have been proposed. The 
research carried out within the project ID ELSY (see Measure 39) examined the possible 
options for testing procedures for electronic systems in the pe riodic vehicle inspections, in 
order to increase the reliability and safety of such systems and therefore the safety of European road transports systems as a whole. The general target of this project was to verify the technical feasibility for the use of generi c scan tools within the periodic technical 
inspection for passenger vehicles and in future for commercial vehicles . Finally, the project 
AUTOFORE (see also Measure 39) produced se veral proposals and recommendations to 
improve roadworthiness enforcement after re viewing the strategies and the potential for 
improvement of the current roadworthiness en forcement measures. Th e introduction of higher 
roadworthiness standards was pr oposed. The legislative framewor k for roadworthiness testing 
has been recently amended with the Directive 2009/40/EC (published in the Official Journal 
on the 6 June 2009), which replaces the curren t roadworthiness Directive 96/96/EC. The new 
Directive includes periodic in spection requirements for CO2 em issions, including testing 
frequency. 
Specific topic: accident prevention 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. 
EN 40   EN Consistency with other measures: this measure is tightly connected with Measure 39, which 
aims at examining the opportunity of including  the new vehicle electronic system in the 
roadworthiness testing. 
Outcomes 
The project CITA1 (CITA1, 2001) provided the basis for the deve lopment of test procedures 
for the electronically controlled systems. This enables research efforts to be prioritised for 
those systems which appear to be less reliable and provides a benchmar k for measuring the 
effectiveness of periodic test procedures and inspections. The project IDELSY examined 
different possible test procedur es, with the aim of improving and optimising them. It also 
carried out field trials to corroborate the results of the resear ch. Scan tools and test procedures 
to be used in the course of periodic vehicle inspections have been developed and the functionality and safety of electronic contro l units have been verified. The options for 
improving roadworthiness enforcement iden tified and analysed by AUTOFORE are: 
1. Improve roadworthiness Directives. 2. Improve type approval requirements and legislative process. 3. Develop the infrastructure required to inspect electronically controlled systems. 
4. Promote improved compliance. 5. Develop supporting roadworthiness insp ection databases and related items. 
6. Improve linkages between forms of roadworthiness enforcement. 
7. Support research and development. The objective, according to the research group, would be to implement them by 2020. One of 
the recommendations resulting from the AUTOFORE research is increasing the frequency of 
inspection for older light goods vehicles and for small passengers vehicles (up to eight seats, 
excluding the driver). The econo mic benefit of increased fre quency of inspection of older 
light vehicles would be over 2 billion Euro if vehicles of 8 years and over are inspected 
annually, with a benefit-to-cost rati o larger than 2 (AUTOFORE, 2007). 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): amendments to the current legislative 
framework should be studied and evaluated in order to: 
- increase the frequency of insp ection for older vehicles of cat egories 5 and 6, as defined in 
the Directive 2009/40/EC (Annex I); - include two-wheeled motor vehicles (internati onal categories L1 and L3) in the scope of the 
legislation; - introduce test procedures for new electron ic components with a view to improve the 
roadworthiness of vehicles. A regulatory impact statement should be carried out in these regards. Moreover, new thematic 
studies should be initiated to deepen past studies and to fu rther research, in particular: 
- the magnitude of the contributi on of vehicle defects to accide nts and to trial new inspection 
systems suitable for inspecti ng the functionality of elect ronically based technologies; 
- methods of improving compliance, effectiven ess and efficiency of  vehicle inspection. 
Finally, further work should be undertaken to develop proposals for increasing harmonisation 
of European roadworthiness standards. 
Measure 41
  
Submit a proposal for a framework directive on r oad infrastructure safe ty with a view to 
introducing a system for the harmonised manage ment of black spots and road safety audits 
for roads on the trans-European network 
Objective : improving the safety of road infrastruc tures within the trans-European road 
network.  
EN 41   EN Description: On 19 November 2008 the European Parliament and the Council of the 
European Union emanated Directive 2008/96/EC19 in order to establish procedures to ensure a 
consistently high level of road safety thr oughout the trans-European road network. The 
Directive requires the establishment and im plementation of procedures relating to 
road safety impact assessments, road safety au dits, the management of  road network safety 
and safety inspections by the Member States. It  shall apply to roads which are part of the 
trans-European road network, whether they are at  the design stage, und er construction or in 
operation. The Directive will enter into force 19 December 2010. 
Specific topic: infrastructure 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: high results  
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with the general scope of 
increasing road safety through a proper manageme nt of the infrastructures. Therefore this 
measure is closely linked with all the actions relating to road infrastructure safety 
management (see Measure 5 and 44). 
Outcomes 
Directive 2008/96/EC requires the establishment and implementati on of procedures relating to 
road safety impact assessments, road safety au dits, the management of  road network safety 
and safety inspections by the Member States. It  shall apply to roads which are part of the 
trans-European road network, whether they are at  the design stage, und er construction or in 
operation.  
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring the implementation in Member 
States of Directive 2008/96/EC. A possible application of this m easure to other road networks 
should be evaluated (rural and urban roads). 
Measure 42  
Draw up technical guidelines concerning in frastructure, notably for low cost measures, 
audit methods, urban safety management, sp eed moderation techniques and forgiving 
roadsides 
Objective: improving road safety through the management of road infrastructures. 
Description: Road infrastructure related safety measur es offer a large potential that could be 
exploited for a significant reduction of road accidents and their consequences. 
Considering that most casualties occur on single carriageway rural roads, the project RIPCORD-ISEREST was focused on road infrastruc ture measures for th is type of roads. 
Researchers and practitioners in the Member St ates of the European Union have made great 
efforts to improve traffic safety. Many of these approaches have already led to a significant 
reduction in fatalities. The objective of this project was to collect and to evaluate these approaches in order to make them accessible throughout Europe and to develop tools, which 
could be used to improve traffic safety. W ith these tools RIPCORD-ISEREST intended to 
give scientific support to practitioners concer ned with road design and traffic safety in 
Europe. The project SUPREME, commissioned by DG TREN of the European Commission, 
had the goal to collect, analyse, summarise and publish best practices in road safety in the 
Member States of the European Union, as well as in Switzerland and Norway. In particular a 
document was produced containing a collection of best practices  at national scale and aiming 
to present the project’s results to national/re gional policy and decisi on makers across Europe, 
thereby encouraging the adopti on of successful road safety strategies and measures. The 
project ROSEBUD is  a thematic network funded by the European Commission to support 
users at all levels of government (European Unio n, national, regional, local) with road safety 
                                                
 
19 OJ 319, 29.11.2008, p. 59. 
EN 42   EN related efficiency assessment solutions for th e widest possible range of measures. ROSEBUD 
will bring together e.g. users, researchers, deci sion makers, policy makers and other relevant 
stakeholders dealing with efficiency assessment  of road safety measures. It was designed to 
facilitate networking of organi sations, co-ordination of activi ties, exchange and dissemination 
of knowledge. Other projects to be mentioned are NR2C (New Road Construction Concept), 
EURO-AUDITS (European Road Safety Aud itor Training Syllabus), EURORAP I and II 
(European Roads Assessment Programme), IA SP (Identification of Hazard Location and 
Ranking of Measures to Improve Safety), RISER (Roadside Infrastructure for Safer European 
Roads), RANKERS (Ranking for European Ro ad Safety), EURAMP (European Ramp 
Metering Project), FORMAT (Fully optimised road maintenance), SAMARIS (Sustainable 
and advanced materials for road infrastructu res), SENSOR (Secondary road network traffic 
management strategies) and SILVIA (Sustainab le road surfaces for traffic noise control). 
Duration of the SUPREME project: from 1 December 2005 to 1 June 2007. 
Duration of the ROSEBUD project: fr om 1 October 2002 until 1 September 2005. 
Duration of the RIPCORD-ISEREST project: from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2007 
The other mentioned projects were completed between years 2002 and 2008. 
Specific topic: infrastructure 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is linked with Measure 45, aimed at 
improving the equipment of the road infrastructures. 
Outcomes 
The main outcomes of RIPCORD-ISER EST can be summarised as follows: 
- The development of best practice tools and guidelines for road infrastructure safety 
measures concerning accident prediction mode ls, road safety inspections, and black-spot 
management; 
- The development of tools for cost efficiency assessment of different safety measures; 
- The development, with regard  to secondary roads, of speci fic software tools and a handbook 
for local road authorities. The final report of SUPREME pr oject consists of 14 parts,  among which handbooks of best 
practices in road safety for measures at the country and European level and a thematic report 
regarding road infrastructures. Regarding ROSEB UD, the results of this structured approach 
towards improving the process of decision making about road safety measures are 
documented in five scientific reports. Conc lusions and recommendati ons are summarised in 
three publications, which are considered the main  output of ROSEBUD: 
- A handbook of evaluated road safety measures - A framework of best practices for conducting efficiency assessment studies - A “demonstration course” to make decision makers familiar with the proposed efficiency assessment tools. The other considered pr ojects provided usef ul indications and 
recommendations too. Description of the impact: the introduction of tec hnical guidelines for road infrastructures 
could allow a safer circulation of the vehicles resulting in bot h less crashes and less dangerous 
consequences for road users in the event of an accident. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the guidelines have been developed, but 
their implementation has yet to come. Acti on needs to be taken at national level. 
Measure 43 
 
Draw up good practice guidelines  for level-crossing safety 
Objective: improving road safety through the management of road infrastructures. 
Description: Every year, more than 330 people are ki lled in more than 1200 accidents at 
road-rail level crossings in the European Union. Together with tunnels and specific road black 
spots, level crossings have b een identified as being a part icular weak point in road 
EN 43   EN infrastructure, seriously affecting road safety . The High Level Group on Road Safety from 
European Commission DG Energy and Transport decided in 1999 to set up a working group 
on safety at rail-road level crossings. Apar t from informing the Commission on the current 
state of practice as well as st ate of the art, the group was al so meant to produce advice and 
foster the exchange of information between Me mber States in its dom ain of work. The group 
finalised a first report in Marc h 2000. It contained a typology of level crossings, which is an 
important prerequisite for risk analysis and development of a remedial programme, traffic 
rules and signing and signalling (optical and acoustical). A second report of the group was 
finalised in December 2003. This report was addr essed to the European, the national and the 
regional legislators and executives in ministri es, road institutes, road authorities and 
academia. In addition, the project SELCAT (Saf er European Level Crossing Appraisal and 
Technology), a coordination action under the European Commission’s 6th Framework 
Programme involving partne rs from European countries as we ll as from Asia and Africa, was 
launched on 1 September 2006. Its main objective was to collect and disseminate knowledge 
related to level crossing risk appr aisal, technology and methodology. 
Duration of the SELCAT project: from September 2006 to September 2008. 
Specific topic: infrastructure 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with the general scope of 
improving the safety of road infrastructures. 
Outcomes 
In the 2nd Report of the Working Group on Le vel Crossings a set of conclusions and 
recommendations regarding the level-crossing safety was drawn. The report could serve as 
input for strategic road safety planning, the implementation of measures, the adoption of 
guidelines and their implementation. At the same tim e, the level of detail of this report is not 
sufficient to function as a guideline for dir ect use by practitioners. The project SELCAT 
provided useful recommendations about the appraisal, technolog ies and methodologies 
regarding level crossing as  well as campaigns for road vehicle drivers. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): studies should be continued, improving the 
monitoring of such accidents a nd finding solutions in collaboration with th e rail operators and 
a possible revision of road signs (UN-ECE). 
Measure 44  
Assess the safety impact of projects receiving Community funding and concerning an entire 
area 
Objective: taking into consideration the safety  impact of the European projects. 
Description: The setting up of appropriate  assessment procedures is an essential tool for 
improving the safety of road infrastructure. The safety impact assessments aims at illustrating, 
at a strategic level, the implications on road safety of different planning alternatives of a 
project, playing an important role when those are being selected. Directive 2008/96/EC20 on 
Road Infrastructure Safety Management requires the establishment and implementation of procedures relating to road safety impact assess ments, road safety audits, the management of 
road network safety and safety inspections by the Member States. The specific objective of 
this Directive is to ensure a consistently high level of road safety throughout the trans-
European road network. Member States may al so apply the provisions of this Directive to 
national road transport infrastructure constr ucted using Community funding in whole or in 
part, but not included in the trans-European road  network. However, this is not a requirement, 
but only a possibility. Annex II of the Direct ive 2008/96/EC on Road In frastructure Safety 
                                                
 
20 OJ 319, 29.11.2008, p. 59. 
EN 44   EN Management defines the criteria to be met by Member States wh en carrying out a road safety 
impact assessment (article 3.2). Road tunnels are excluded from the scope of the Directive 
and are covered by Directive 2004/54/EC (see Measure 47.) This objective has seen only a partial realisation. Ac tion has been taken only with respect to 
the infrastructure safety management of the tr ans-European road netw ork. Directive 2008/96 
will be also applied to the implementation of  the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the 
FEDER (European regional development fund) pr ojects, while the app lication of safety 
impact assessment to other Community funded projects remains optional. Member States shall bring into force the legislation necessary  to comply with this Directive by 19 December 
2010. By 19 December 2011, Member States should adopt the guidelines for applying the safety procedures set out in the Directive. 
Specific topic: infrastructure 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is closely linked with all the actions relating 
to road infrastructure safety management. In pa rticular, it is linked with the aim of Measure 5 
relating to harmonised road safety cr iteria in public se rvice contracts. 
Description of the impact: road infrastructure safety manage ment contributes to take into 
account the impact on road safety in projec t definition, planning and implementation, 
allowing an increase in safety awareness by deci sion-makers and in safety performance of the 
infrastructure. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): beyond the mandatory implementation of 
the procedure to the TEN-network (Directi ve 2008/96), the requireme nt of appropriate 
assessment procedures should be extended to all the projects funded by the European Union. 
OJ 319/59 of the 29 11 2008 
Measure 45
  
Adapt to technical progress the Community standards applicable to road equipment and 
ensure a high level of protectio n, notably by making road sides less hazardous in the event 
of an accident 
Objective: increasing road safety by improving the equipment of road infrastructures. 
Description: In November 2008 the project Smart RRS started with the objective of reducing 
the number of injuries and deaths caused by ro ad traffic accidents to vulnerable road users 
such as motorcyclists, cyclists and passenge rs through the development of a smart road 
restraint system. The project st arted 3 November 2008 and is expected to be completed by 31 
October 2011. 
Specific topic: infrastructure 
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is linked with all the actions aiming at 
making the circulation of vehicles on road infrastr uctures safer. In particular, it is consistent 
with Measure 42 regarding the de velopment of technical guide lines for improving the safety 
of road infrastructures.  
Outcomes 
The project Smart RRS will develop a new smart road restraint system that will reduce the 
number of deaths and injuries caused in ro ad traffic accidents by integrating primary and 
tertiary sensor systems in a new RRS system, providing greater protecti on to all road users, 
alerting motorists and emergency services of da nger so as to prevent accidents happening, and 
alerting them of accidents as they happen to ma ximise response time to the exact location of 
the incident.  
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): this measure should be continued, since it 
has a high potential in increasing road safety. 
EN 45   EN Measure 46  
Carry out research and demonstrat ion projects on ‘intelligent roads’ 
Objective: increasing road safety through the de velopment of “intelligent roads”. 
Description: By using new approaches in order to add intelligence to road infrastructures, it 
could be possible to reduce the number of ro ad accidents as well as the infrastructures 
maintenance costs (which are constantly increa sing in Europe) and optimise the capacity of 
existing infrastructures. During the years projects on “intelligent roads” have been carried out: some of these have been completed, while some are still in progress. In pa rticular it’s worth to 
mention the following projects: - INTRO (Intelligent Roads); - CVIS (Co-operative vehicl e-infrastructure systems); 
- SAFESPOT (Cooperative systems for road sa fety “Smart Vehicles on Smart Roads”); 
- INTERSAFE 2 (Cooperative Intersection Safety); - IN SAFETY (Infrastructure and safety); - MISS (Monitor Integrated Safety Systems); - REACT (Realising Enhanced Safety and Efficiency in European Road Transport); - COM2REACT (Cooperative communication sy stem to realise enhanced safety and 
efficiency in European road transport); - COMeSafety (Communications for eSafety); - COOPERS (Co-operative Systems for Intelligent Road Safety); 
- COVER (Semantic driven cooperative vehicle infrastructure systems for advanced eSafety 
applications); - TRACKSS (Technologies for Road Advanced  Cooperative Knowledge Sharing Sensors). 
Duration of the INTRO project: from 1 March 2005 until 29 February 2008. Duration of the CVIS project: from  1 March 2006 until 31 January 2010. 
Duration of the SAFESPOT project: fr om 1 February 2006 until 31 January 2010. 
Duration of the INTERSAFE 2 project: fr om 1 January 2008 until 31 December 2010. 
Duration of the IN SAFETY project: from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2007. Duration of the MISS project: from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2006. Duration of the REACT project: from  1 January 2005 until 31 December 2006. 
Duration of the COM2REACT project: fr om 1 January 2006 until 31 December 2007. 
Duration of the COMeSafety project: from 1 January 2006 until 31 December 2009. Duration of the COOPERS project: fr om 1 February 2006 until 31 January 2010. 
Duration of the COVER project: from 1 March 2006 until 28 February 2008. Duration of the TRACKSS project: from 1 January 2006 until 31 December 2008. Specific topic : infrastructure  
Type of impact: indirect. 
Timing of the effects: long term. 
Contribution to road safety: high results. The positive resu lts could be even more 
considerable if the synergies with th e active safety dom ain are exploited. 
Consistency with other measures: The development of “intelligent roads” are closely 
connected with active safety actions such as the ones considered in Measures 37 and 38. 
Outcomes: The number and contents of the menti oned projects provide large and various 
indications, measures and approaches for the development of intelligent roads infrastructures. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): studies should be deepened. 
Measure 47
  
Achieve a high level of safety in tunnels, no tably through standards and user information 
Objective: improving road infrastructures safety. 
Description: The European Council has on several o ccasions, and notably at its meeting on 
14 and 15 December 2001 in Laeken, underlined th e urgency of taking measures to improve 
tunnel safety. On 30 November 2001, the Transpor t Ministers of Austri a, France, Germany, 
EN 46   EN Italy and Switzerland met in Zurich and a dopted a Common Declaration recommending the 
alignment of national legislations on the most  recent harmonised requirements for improving 
safety in long tunnels. On 29 April 2004 the European Parliame nt and the Council of the 
European Union emanated Directive 2004/54/EC21 with the aim to ensuring a minimum level 
of safety for road users in tunnels in the Tr ans-European Road Network by the prevention of 
critical events that may enda nger human life, the environment and tunnel installations, as well 
as by the provision of protection in case of ac cidents. Transposition by Member States was 
due by 30 April 2006. The directive applies to  all tunnels in the Trans-European Road 
Network with lengths of over 500 m, whether th ey are in operation, under construction or at 
the design stage. In addition, proj ects regarding tunnels safety have been carried out. In the 
framework of the project EUROTAP (Europ ean Tunnels Assessment Programme) tunnels 
located on the Trans-European Road Network have been assessed for their level of road safety. It is worth mentioning other projects such as the pr oject UPTUN (cost-effective, 
sustainable and innovative upgrading methods for fire safety in existing tunnels), the project 
Safe Tunnel (innovative systems and frameworks for enhancing of traffic safety in road 
tunnels), the project Safe-T (S afety in Tunnels Thematic Netw ork) and the project SIRTAKI 
(Safety Improvement in Road & rail Tunnels using Advanced  ICT and Knowledge Intensive 
DSS). The project EUROTAP started on 1 Janua ry 2005. The other projects mentioned were 
carried out in the years from 2001 to 2006. Specific topic : infrastructure  
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: high results.  
Consistency with other measures: increasing the safety in tunne ls is consistent with the 
general aim of improving the road in frastructures safety management. 
Outcomes 
Directive 2004/54/EC provided fo r a set of safety measure as well as procedures for the 
management of tunnels. Regarding project EURO TAP, the results of the tunnels that have 
been tested are published every year in media all across Europe. Tunnels users are able to 
access via the internet safety relevant informat ion about individual tunnels in seven different 
languages. A European Tunnel Audit Report wa s produced, covering ni ne years of tunnel 
tests, and highlighting what ha s been achieved and what still needs to be done. Information 
leaflets were targeted at moto rists giving information on how to  behave correctly in tunnels. 
Numerous European road tunnels have been  refurbished and modernised following the 
requirements of Directive 2004/54/EC. Description of the impact: a better management of tunne ls and a proper road users 
information in order to improve their behaviou r contribute to reduce the accidents, therefore 
increasing road safety. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring the implementation of Directive 
2004/54. Stimulating the exchange of best practices among Member States and tunnel operators, in particular with respect to the ne wly created "safety officer" activity. A possible 
application of such actions not only to the Tr ans-European Road Network, but also to other 
roads should be considered. 
Measure 48 
 
Adoption and incorporation in national legisl ation of a European Parliament and Council 
directive on the training of commercial drivers 
Objective: improving road safety through the tr aining of commercial drivers. 
Description: The EU has encouraged its members to provide better trai ning for professional 
drivers. Many professional driv ers in the EU are working without  the benefit of training or the 
                                                 
21 OJ L 204, 4.8.2007, p. 30.  
EN 47   EN opportunity to regularly refres h their skills. In 2003 EU in troduced Directive 2003/59/EC22 of 
15 July 2003 of the European Parliament and of  the Council on the initial qualification and 
periodic training of drivers of  certain road vehicles for th e 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, with effect from 10 September 2008. The overall 
aim of the directive is to promote the profe ssional competence of the drivers, with positive 
implications in terms of: increased road safe ty; reduced emissions an d fuel consumption; 
enhanced profile of the industry; and harmonise d training of drivers which may ease worker 
mobility in the EU market. More over, the directive also lowered the minimum age for driving 
a truck to 18 years in order to ease the problem of shortage of drivers in Europe. 
Specific topic: professional drivers 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results.  
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with the general scope of 
improving the behaviour of the professional drivers. 
Outcomes 
Directive 2003/59/EC made comp ulsory for European member states to have a Driver 
Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) acr oss the EU for all professional bus and truck 
drivers. The introduction of Driver CPC re quired more rigorous testing and continuous 
training for professional bus drivers from 10 September 2008 and truck drivers from 10 
September 2009. According to the provisions of th e Directive, two types of CPCs have been 
foreseen:  - the CPC certifying initial qualification, which is i ssued to drivers that apply for the first time 
for a CPC. It is required that drivers need to successfully pass an official practical and 
theoretical test organised under th e supervision of the Member St ate of their residence. Each 
Member State can also decide to render mandatory a previous training; 
- the CPC certifying periodic training, which is issued to drivers already holding a CPC 
certifying initial qualification or are exempted  from the requirement to obtain it, after 
completion of a periodic training on road safety  and rationalised fuel consumption. The first 
of the periodic trainings must be completed wi thin five years (in some cases, Member States 
were allowed to shorten this period to three years or extend it to seven) after the CPC certifying initial qualification ha s been issued (or five year s after 10 September 2009 for the 
drivers exempted from the obligation to certify initial qualification). A periodic training must 
then be completed every five years. As an  exception to the general rule, young drivers can 
work for a maximum period of three years wit hout holding a CPC, under the condition that 
they are involved in a national vocationa l training lasting at least six months. 
Description of the impact: improving driving skills of the professional drivers could increase 
not only their safety, but also th e safety of all road users. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring the implementation at national 
level of Directive 2003/59/ EC; stimulating the excha nge of best practices. 
Measure 49 
 
Tighter legislation (and enforcement) of dr iving and rest periods for commercial road 
haulage 
Objective: increasing road safety by improving drivers’ working conditions for the 
commercial road haulage. Description: On 15 July 1997 the European Commissi on adopted a White Paper on sectors 
and activities excluded from the working time  directive [COM(97) 334 final], in which it 
proposed several approaches designed to protect  the health and safety  of workers in the 
                                                
 
22 OJ L 226, 10.9.2003, p. 4–17.  
EN 48   EN sectors excluded from the basic Directive. Follo wing consultations with the social partners, 
the Commission concluded, in its Communicat ion of 31 March 1998 [SEC(1998) 537 final] 
that nothing justified treating “mobile” workers and “non-mobile workers”  in a different way 
and that therefore the basic pr inciples of the working time directive should apply to all 
workers. Directive 2002/15/EC of the Europ ean Parliament and of the Council of the 
European Union, regarding the organisation of working time of persons performing mobile 
road transport activities, was adopted 11 Ma rch 2002 and entered into force in March 2005. 
This directive was a lex specialis to the ge neral Working Time Di rective 2003/88/EC and it 
supplements Regulation (EC)561/2006 of 15 March 2006 laying down common rules on 
driving times and rest periods for drivers. The main objective the Directive 2002/15/EC was 
the introduction of minimum standards to protect th e health and safety of road workers, avoid 
distortions to competition within the Community and improve road safety. On 15 October 2008 a proposal of a directive (COM (2008)650) was adopted in order to amend Directive 
2002/15. 
Specific topic: professional drivers  
Contribution to road safety: high results. 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with the actions aimed at 
improving the working conditions  of professional drivers. 
Outcomes 
Directive 2002/15/EC provided for common rule s that ensure minimum social protection 
standards for mobile workers in the road transp ort sector and are perceived as an important 
step towards improving the health and safety protection of mobile workers in the sector, 
enhancing road safety and ensuring fair co mpetition. The proposal fo r a directive amending 
Directive 2002/15/EC has the obje ctive to enhance clarity, readab ility and enforceability of 
the current rules by providing a more precise de finition of mobile workers including so called 
“false”self-employed drivers unde r this category of workers a nd therefore subject to the 
directive. Description of the impact: mandating rest periods for profe ssional hauliers reduce the risks 
of impaired driving due to fatigue. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): this measure should be continued. 
Measure 50 
 
Installation of digital tach ographs in commercial vehicles 
Objective: increasing road safety by monitoring the de tails of the driver’s behaviour and of 
the journeys. Description: Road safety is improved by the automa tic recording and re gular monitoring, 
both by the undertaking and by the competent au thorities, of detail s of the driver’s 
performance and behaviour and of the vehicle’s journey, such as speed  and distance covered. 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 of 20 Decem ber 1985 on recording equipment in road 
transport, Council Regulation (EC) No 2135/98 of 24 Septembe r 1998 and Directive 
2006/22/EC
23 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on minimum 
conditions for the implementation of Council Regulations (EEC) No 3820/85 and (EEC) No 
3821/85 concerning social legislatio n relating to road transport ac tivities are dea ling with this 
and have introduced the digita l tachograph and tightened the minimum controls. Regulation 
(EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliame nt and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the 
harmonisation of certain social legislation re lating to road transport and amending Council 
Regulations (EEC) No 3821/85 and (EC) No  2135/98 and repealing Council Regulation 
(EEC) No 3820/85 has been adopted in order to  introduce clearer and simpler rules about 
                                                 
23 OJ L 102, 11.4.2006, p. 35–44. 
EN 49   EN driving times, breaks and rest periods for prof essional drivers operating both in national and 
international transport. Indeed, this Regulation has tried to bring effective solutions to the 
problems that have been experienced in inte rpreting, applying, enforcing and monitoring the 
provisions included in the Regulation (EEC ) 3820/85. Moreover, there are regulations 
regarding the adaptation to techni cal progress of recording equipm ent in road transport, such 
as the Commission Regulation (EC)1360/2002 of  13 June 2002, Commission Regulation (EC) 
432/2004 of 5 March 2004 and Commission Re gulation (EC) 68/2009 of 23 January 2009. 
Specific topic: professional drivers  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results.  
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with the general aim of 
improving the working and safety conditions for the drivers of commercial vehicles. 
Concerns about the application of the legislation : digital tachographs are used to control 
drivers’ hours, and for second ary purposes such as for instance accident investigation. 
Concerns on their effectiveness are mainly tied to  the threat of manipulation and misuse, thus 
hampering the quality and level of enforcement and consequently  the potential benefits for 
road safety. A full deployment of the digita l tachograph may provide transport companies 
with a tool for an easier and improved mana gement of transport ope rations, and enforcers 
with a more efficient instrume nt for controlling the complian ce of the Regulation. This may 
result in an increase in road safety, sin ce the digital tachograph makes possible a more 
efficient enforcement of European rules on re st and driving times, by: (i) improving road 
security and working conditions of drivers, and (ii) guarantee a fairer competition. However, continuous training and adequate  equipment (onboard and for ch ecks) are also key. In the 
long term, the deployment of the tachograph ma y pose concerns related to the technical 
development and maintenance of such tool. In ad dition, concerns may rise on the capability of 
national enforcement authorities to implement sound controls. 
Description of the impact: monitoring the behaviour of the professional drivers constitute 
for them an incentive to perform correc tly, therefore it increases road safety.  
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): this measure has been completed. 
Measure 51
  
Best practice guidelines concerning company policies 
Objective: improving road safety involving road transport companies. 
Description: The project TRANSPORT COMPANIES (Application of road safety related 
Community legislation in transport comp anies), funded by DG TREN, aimed at the 
assessment of how road transport companies ca n be better involved for the improvement of 
road safety. The safety situation in the road  haulage companies has been investigated by a 
combination of questionnaires and expert interv iews. Potential measures to improve safety 
performance, especially outside Europe, have also been investigated to determine best 
practice. The duration of the project was from 1 December 2003 until 1 February 2005. Final Report, October 2004. 
Specific topic: professional drivers  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: low results.  
Consistency with other measures: the measure is consistent with the general aim of 
increasing the safety in the road  professional transport, in part icular with Measures 52 and 53. 
Outcomes 
The final report of the project provided a set of conclusions and recommendations as well as 
an action package, in which the most “promising” actions have been listed. In particular, such 
actions have been grouped under four headings : vehicle technology and its usage, the driver, 
safety culture and compliance. However, the resear ch in this domain, despite the results of the 
TRANSPORT COMPANIES project, ha s not yet received any follow-up. 
EN 50   EN The exchange of best practices at European  level supports improvements and enhancements 
in the actions taken in the field of company policies at national or local level. Involving 
transport companies for a safer road professional  transport could increa se the safety of all 
road users. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the measure should be continued. 
Measure 52 
 
Best practice guidelines concerning the secu ring of loads and the carriage of exceptional 
loads 
Objective: improving road safety through a better  management of loads carriage. 
Description: As a practical step towards more road safety and transport efficiency throughout 
the European Union, the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy and Transport 
has asked experts from Member States and in dustry to develop guidelines reflecting best 
practice on cargo securing and abnormal transports. An expe rt group prepared a report 
regarding best practice guidelines for abnorma l road transports. The document, which was 
finished in 2006, was presented to the Road Safety High Level Group, which gave a positive 
opinion concerning its contents and scope. These best practice guidelines can be a reference 
for all parties directly or indi rectly concerned by abnormal road  transports, but are primarily 
addressed to the relevant aut horities in the Member States. The document was developed with 
and received the agreement of Member St ates’ government experts and other parties 
concerned. The best practice guidelines are in tended to pave the way towards simplification 
and, if possible harmonisation of the rules and pr ocedures to obtain abnormal road transport 
permits as well as define the conditions under  which procedures could be simplified. In 
addition, best practice guideline s on cargo securing for road transport have been prepared. 
Rules on cargo securing exist in several Member  States, but they often differ in content and 
scope, making it very difficult for international transporters to  know what the minimum cargo 
securing requirements are for a given cross- border transport operati on. The purpose of the 
guidelines is to provide basic practical advice and instructi ons to all persons involved in 
loading/unloading and securing a cargo on vehicles, including carriers and sh ippers. They 
should also be useful for enforcement bodies an d courts, and they could serve as a basis for 
Member States when taking the necessary steps for putting into practice the training of drivers 
in accordance with Directive 2003/59/EC on the in itial qualification and periodic training of 
drivers of certain road vehicles for the carri age of goods or passengers. The guidelines aim to 
provide a guide for adequate cargo securing for a ll situations that may occur in normal traffic 
conditions. The guidelines should also serve as a common basis for both practical application 
and enforcement of cargo securing. Th e project GOODROUTE (Dangerous GOODs 
Transportation ROUTing, Monitoring and Enfor cement) started in 2006 with the objective to 
develop a proper system for the routing of dange rous goods vehicles in order to minimise the 
risks related to the movement s of this kind of vehicles. 
The project GOODROUTE starte d on 1 January 2006 and was completed on 31 December 
2009. 
Specific topic: professional drivers  
Type of impact: indirect 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. It has been estimated that up to 25% of 
accidents involving trucks can be attribut able to inadequate cargo securing. 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with all the actions aimed at 
improving road transport safety, and in particular with Measures 51 and 53. 
Outcomes 
With respect to abnormal roads transports , the document: 
- exposes the conditions and concepts which could greatly simplify the procedures and improve the conditions under wh ich important segments of th e European economy, especially 
EN 51   EN the building and production sectors, have to opera te, leading to more timely and predictable 
abnormal road transports; - proposes a single vehicle regi stration document adapted to abnormal road transports 
requirements, which takes into account curr ent practice in certain Member States; 
- presents the principles under which European abnormal road transports  corridors could be 
developed in order to facilitate cross- border abnormal road transport operations; 
- with regard to marking and signalling, pro poses a relatively simple system achieving 
optimal effectiveness, accord ing to the expert group; 
- provides indications about escorts and self -propelled machinery, a particular group of 
abnormal road transport where it is the vehicle itself that does not comp ly with the European 
legislation on maximum authorised wei ghts and dimensions for road vehicles. 
The report on cargo securing
 provides best practice guide lines and recommendations 
regarding: - vehicle body structure and equipment suitable for blocking on vehicles; 
- restraining methods; - calculating the number of lashings; - inspection during drive / multidrop operations; - standardised or semi-standardised cargo (geometrical forms); - requirements for some specific loads. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): action should be taken to encourage the 
adoption of the developed best practices guidelines. 
Measure 53 
 
Adapting to technical progress the Community  legislation concerning the carriage of 
hazardous goods 
Objective : making European roads safer. 
Description: Directive 2008/68/EC24 establishes a common regime for all aspects of the 
inland transport of dangerous goods, by road, rail and inland waterways within Member States 
or between several Member States, including the activities of loading and unloading, the 
transfer to another mode of tr ansport and the stops necessitated by the circumstances of the 
transport. It repeals and replaces Directives  94/55/EC, 96/49/EC and 96/35/EC with the 
objective of minimising the risks in transpor ting dangerous goods and ensuring that these 
goods are packaged and carried in a way that pr events leakage and prot ects the population, 
environment and economy. The Direc tive refers to the te xts of the interna tional agreements on 
transport of dangerous goods ADR (the Europ ean Agreement concerning the International 
Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road of the 30 September 1957), RID (the Regulations 
concerning the International Carriage of Dange rous Goods by Rail of  3 June 1999) and AND 
(the European Agreement concerning the In ternational Carriage of Dangerous Goods by 
Inland Waterways of 26 May 2000). These agreements have drawn up a list of dangerous 
goods, defining the requirements for their transp ort. Directive 2008/68/EC  extends their rules 
to national transport in order to harmonise across the Commun ity the conditions under which 
dangerous goods are transporte d and to ensure the proper  functioning of the common 
transport market. The Commission Decision 2009/240/EC of 4 Ma rch 2009 transfers cer tain derogations 
previously granted under the ADR and RID Framework Directives to the new Inland 
Transport of Dangerous Goods Directive 2008/6 8/EC, which entered into force 20 October 
2008. Member States must comply with it by 30 June 2009. Concerning controls, 
Commission Directive 2004/112/EC adapted the pr ocedures for checks on the transport of 
dangerous goods by road of Directive 2001/26/EC. Member States have a transitional period 
                                                
 
24 OJ L 260, 30.9.2008, p. 13–59. 
EN 52   EN of up to two years (until 30 June 2011) for the a pplication of the Directive to the transport of 
dangerous goods by inland waterway, so as to  allow sufficient time for the adaptation of 
national provisions, the estab lishment of legal frameworks and the training of personnel. 
Specific topic: professional drivers  
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. The rules concerning transport of hazardous 
goods are expected to secure a higher le vel of road safety  in the long run. 
Consistency with other measures: the scope of this measure is consistent with the aim of 
increasing road transport safety, and in  particular with Measures 51 and 52. 
Outcomes 
Defining clear, harmonised and effective ru les for the transport of hazardous goods 
contributes to minimising the risk associated with the transport of dangerous goods, at the 
same time improving working and safety c onditions in road professional transport. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring the implementation at national 
level. 
Measure 54  
Making the wearing of seatbelts mandat ory in coaches and heavy goods vehicles 
Objective : reduction of injuries for bus and co ach passengers in case of accident. 
Description:  Directive 2003/20/EC25, amending 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, requires all bus and coach passe ngers to use seat belt s (or child restraints, 
where appropriate and available) where they ar e installed. It amends the earlier Directive 
91/671/EEC on the approximation of the laws of Me mber States relating to compulsory use of 
seat belts. In particular, it in troduces the requirement that all occupants aged three and over of 
M2 (buses and coaches having a maximum gr oss weight not exceeding 5,000 kg) and M3 
vehicles (buses and coaches over 5,000 kg) in use shall wear the sa fety systems provided 
while they are seated. 
Specific topic: vehicle occupants' protection  
Type of impact: direct. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. 
Consistency with other measures: this measure is consistent with the aim of increasing the 
safety of vehicle occupants; in particul ar, it is linked with Measures 21, 25 and 55. 
Outcomes 
There are no separate figures for vehicles fitted and not-fitted with seat belts and available 
statistics do not identify if pa ssengers were, or were not, weari ng available seat belts at the 
time of accident. Therefore, a scientific quantif ication of the impact on road safety is not 
feasible. The efficiency is rated as medium, an d not as high, since the mandatory use of seat 
belts is applied only for vehi cles provided with those, while  the installation itself is not 
mandatory. Description of the impact: wearing seatbelts reduce the risk  of personal damage and the 
potential severity of injury in case of accident. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): monitoring the implementation at national 
level while supporting the in stallation of seat belts in all coaches and HGVs. 
Measure 55 
 
Introducing protection rules for vehicles re gularly used for the carriage of children 
Objective : improving child safety in road transport. 
Description: Road traffic accidents are the main cause of mortality for children up to 15 years 
old. Crashes involving school buses and cras hes involving children travelling to school 
                                                 
25 OJL 115, 9.5.2003, p. 63.  
EN 53   EN require a focused effort to be drastically reduced. To address this problem and improve 
children road safety, the EC has carried out several actions. In terms of legislation, the EU 
Directive 2003/20/EC cove ring seat belt wearing requires childr en up to the age of 12 years or 
less than 150cm tall (where there is an exem ption, 135cm) travelling in cars, vans and goods 
vehicles to use an appropriate child restraint. According to this Directive, child restraints 
systems for child occupants of power-driven vehicles sold in the EU must conform to the 
UNECE Regulation 44. This regulation needs to be updated in order to take into account restraint systems for children up to 150 cm. To this aim, several EC projects have been 
working on the development and improvement of child protection systems. Moreover, several 
research projects in the domain of child safe ty have been funded. The CHILD project carried 
out the investigation of injury mechanisms and tolerances specifically regarding children in order to contribute to revise d or improved standards and more  efficient design of child 
restraint systems. The main objective of the proj ect was to increase the level of knowledge of 
the injury mechanisms experienced by children of different ages in road accidents. In 
addition, CHILD complimented the activities of Eu ro NCAP with regard to child occupant 
protection assessment, establis hing protection reference values  for body regions such as the 
neck. The project School Transport (Road Safety in school transport) studied the key issues 
relating to school transport and made recomm endations in the light of the existing and 
upcoming legislation in this dom ain. The final objective was evaluating the need for further 
legislation or action at Community or Member State level. The NPACS project (New 
programme for the assessment of  child seats) aimed at pr oviding independent published 
guidance to consumers on the re lative protection afforded by ch ild restraint systems. Through 
reliable methods of dynamic testing in co llaboration with EU re search and testing 
organisations, it developed an ha rmonised testing procedure with  the objective of establishing 
an EuroNCAP type body. Compared to Euro NCAP, which rates the combination of a 
particular car model and a child restraint syst em, NPACS tests separately the child restraint 
system safety performance across most ve hicle models. The EPOCH project (Enabling 
protection for older children), funded under the Seventh Framework Programme, aims to 
extend the NPACS testing and rating protocols to  include child restraints for older children 
(developing a prototype 10/12 year  old dummy). The final object ive is to make proposals for 
the assessment of child restraints in th e UNECE Regulation 44. Finally, the project 
SAFEWAY2SCHOOL (Integrated sy stem for the safe transportation of children to school) 
aims to design, develop, integrate and evaluate  technologies for providing a holistic and safe 
transportation service for children, encompassing tools, services and tr aining for all key actors 
in the relevant transportation chain. These include optimal rout e planning for school buses to 
maximize safety, on-board safety ap plications (i.e. for speed contro l and seat belts), intelligent 
bus stops, effective warning and information syst ems for bus drivers, children, parents and the 
surrounding traffic, as well as training sche mes for all actors. The project's innovative 
systems, services and training schemes will be tested in Sweden, Austria, Italy and Poland to 
evaluate their usability, efficiency, user acceptance and market viability. 
Duration of the CHILD project: fr om 1 September 2002 to 31 August 2005. 
Duration of the School Transport project : from 1 December 2003 to 1 October 2004. 
Duration of the NPACS project: from  1 January 2004 to 1 January 2006. 
Duration of the EPOCH project: from  1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011. 
Duration of the SAFEWAY2SCHOOL project : from 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2012. 
Specific topic: 
vehicle occupants protection 
Type of impact: direct. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results  
Consistency with other measures: this measure is tightly linked with the implementation of 
Measure 22 (introduction of uni versal anchorage systems for child restraint devices). 
EN 54   EN Description of the impact: introducing protection rules for the carriage of children is a 
measure which not only directly  improve child safety in ve hicles by providing a more and 
more appropriate restraint systems, but also help s increasing the attention level of the driver. 
In fact, according to a research  carried out in the UK, the Ne therlands, Belgium and Germany 
(EPOCH, 2009), for 30% of the parents children di stracting them in the back of the car is the 
cause of a (near) accident. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the results of the thematic researches will 
need to be integrated and applied. Re lative statistics need to be improved. 
Measure 56
 
Examining the impact on road safe ty of the growing use of sm all commercial vehicles and 
company vehicles. 
Objective : supporting policy making. 
Description: The increasing participation of light goods  vehicles (LGVs) in road traffic, 
especially considering the raise of courier and express services, is of growing concern for road 
safety; in fact, both the number of LGVs a nd their participation in  accidents increased. The 
project IMPROVER (Impact Assessment of Road Safety Measures for Vehicles and Road 
Equipment), and in particular  the Subproject 2, examined the impact of the measures 
improving the road safety of light vans (vehic les for the carriage of goods with a weight of 
more than 1 and less than 3.5 t). The research carried out by the project estimated that each year (considering as reference period from 1995 to 2005) more than 4.000 people die in the 
EU25 in accidents with light  goods vehicles and more th an 20.000 are severely injured. 
Moreover, between 1995 and 2005, the number of LGVaccidents with fa tally injured road 
users increased on all road t ypes: by 6% on urban roads, 8% on rural roads and 32% on 
motorways (IMPROVER, 2006). Duration of the project IMPROVER: from 23 Nove mber 2004 to 23 May 2006. 
Specific topic: professional drivers 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Timing of the effects: long term. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. 
Consistency with other measures: the research development is closely connected with the 
studies carried out in the fr amework of the Measure 28 (e xamine the impact of the 
proliferation of 4x4s, SUVs and MPVs). 
Outcomes 
The IMPROVER Subproject 2: 
- analysed the scope of the problem in the EU25; 
- identified and defined road safety measures for LGV; 
- carried out cost-benefit-analyses for each measure; - proposed recommendations on th e implementation of road safe ty measures dedicated to 
LGV. Description of the impact: understanding the effects on road sa fety of the proliferation of 
small commercial vehicles is crucial to define the intervention strategy that needs to be adopted in order to increase road safety. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the research is completed. Action needs to 
be taken in the framework of the measures a ddressing the safety of  professional drivers 
(namely, Measures 48, 49 and 51). 
Measure 57 
 
Examine best practice with regard to post-accident medical care. 
Objective : improving post-accident care by providi ng information on outstanding safety 
measures. Description: The post-accident medical care consists of first aid measures, emergency call, 
response of emergency systems, safeguarding of  accident sites, transportation and medical 
EN 55   EN treatment for the victims, further medical tr eatment and psychological support. The project 
SUPREME (Summary and publication of best Prac tices in Road safety in the EU Member 
States) had the goal to collect, analyse, summarise  and publish best practices in road safety in 
the European Union as well as in Switzerland and Norway. The analysis was carried out along 
nine categories of measures, one of  them being post accident care. 
Duration of the project SUPREME: from 1 December 2005 to 1 June 2007. 
Specific topic: post crash medical care  
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: high results  
Consistency with other measures: this measure shares the sc ope of Measure 58, which is 
improving post-accident care. 
Outcomes 
A specific Thematic Report on the best practices related to post accident care was published. 
It describes the best available practices, featuring basic character istics such as target groups, 
quantitative and qualitative goals, key issues , duration of implementation and effects, 
coverage, costs, actors involved, implementation procedures as well as key success factors 
and potential implementation ba rriers in other countries. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the thematic research is completed. Action 
needs to be taken to integrate the results of the study in the Eu ropean systems of post-accident 
medical care. 
Measure 58  
Draw up specifications for satellite-positioni ng accident-warning systems and carry out 
demonstration projects involving the whole chain of emergency service provision. 
Objective : promoting the use of ICTs to improve pos t-accident care and achieve safer roads. 
Description: The European Commission supported severa l projects with the aim of reducing 
the consequences of road tr affic accidents by deploying a sy stem to immediately alert the 
emergency services. Such a system was firs t conceived and developed under the project 
AIDER, funded under the fifth Fr amework Programme. The aim of the AIDER project was to 
develop a kind of automotive “black box”, sim ilar to the devices in airplanes, which 
continually assesses the car's envi ronment and, in case of an accident, alerts a call centre with 
essential details about the nature of the cras h. The emergency services would be contacted 
immediately and, knowing the details of the acci dent, they would arrive both more quickly 
and prepared for specific injuries. The eCall programme received the task of optimising the in-car automatic emergency call system deve loped within the fram ework of the projects 
AIDER, E-MERGE and GST-Rescue and to ma ke the technology work across borders. ECall 
is a system that automatically dials 112, Eur ope's single emergency number, when a car has a 
serious accident and sends its location to th e nearest emergency service – even when 
passengers do not know or cannot say where th ey are. The Commission has further supported 
work on eCall through industry coop eration via the eSafety initia tive, which seeks to improve 
road safety by fitting "intelligent" safety sy stems based on advanced electronic technologies 
into road vehicles (see Measure 37). Duration of the project AIDER: fr om 1 September 2001 to 31 August 2004. 
Duration of the project E-MERGE: from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2004. Duration of the project GST-Rescue : from 1 March 2004 to 31 March 2007. 
The eCall technology is ready and common pan-EU  standards have been agreed by the phone 
and car industry and by the em ergency services. Since 2004, 79 representatives of the industry 
and 18 national Authorities have signed th e EU's Memorandum of Understanding to 
implement the system across Europe. 15 EU countries (Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 
Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuani a, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the 
Netherlands and Sweden) as well as 3 EEA count ries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) have 
agreed common arrangements for implementi ng eCall. Another 6 (Belgium, Bulgaria, 
EN 56   EN Hungary, Luxembourg, Romania an d Poland) support the programme  and are willing to sign 
the agreement. Instead, Denmark, France, Irelan d, Latvia, Malta and the UK are still not ready 
to commit, mainly for cost concerns, and ha ve not signed the Memo randum. In April 2006, 
the European Parliament voted by a large majority  to adopt the eCall safety system for all new 
cars from 2009. By the end of 2010 , eCall should become a stan dard option in all new type-
approved vehicles. But to fully deploy it, Euro pe's car and telecoms industries and national 
administrations must ensure that their emerge ncy services (i.e. call centres) are equipped to 
handle the system. 
Specific topic: post crash medical care  
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: high results  
Consistency with other measures: this measure shares the sc ope of Measure 57, which is 
improving post-accident care. Outcomes The Memorandum of Understanding for Rea lisation of Interoperable In-Vehicle 
eCall was adopted on the 28 May 2004. Description of the impact: the eCall system will he lp to reduce the number of fatalities and 
the severity of the injuries by enabling a more immediate intervention of the emergency services. The system will also support the development of the technologies to manage road traffic congestion and to install servic es like satellite navigation in cars. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): several Member States have still not signed 
the eCall Memorandum of Understanding. The Telecoms Commissioner, Vivian Reding, 
invited them to take action a nd commit to the introduction of a system that can save lives. 
Otherwise, the Commission will need to propos e legislation next year  (EU Commission Press 
Release, 9 September 2009). 
Measure 59 
 
Develop the CARE database and widen access to it, in the interest of achieving greater 
transparency and encouraging its use; expan d CARE to include hazard exposure variables 
and the causes of accidents 
Objective : build a statistical and scientific basis contributing to the improvement of road 
safety. Description: Several research projects have been car ried out in order to expand the CARE 
database, developed in the framework of the Sa fetyNet project (see Measure 2), to increase 
the number of variables and to improve their quality. 
The PENDANT project (Pan-European Coordina ted Accident and Injury Database) was 
established to develop a new in-depth crash-in jury database. It focuses on accident causation 
data, a linked police-hospital injury database and on accident investigation tools to support 
development of databases, harmonisation of collision severity assessment methods, 
impairment scales and injury severity s caling methods for casualty reduction. In 2006 a 
second phase of the project was launched. The project PROLOGUE (Promoting real life 
Observations for Gaining Understanding of ro ad behaviour in Europe) aims at developing 
techniques for naturalistic observations, where ro ad user behaviour is observed unobtrusively 
in a natural setting for a longer period of time. The main objectiv e is to prove the feasibility 
and usefulness of a large-scale European na turalistic observation study. The project TRACE 
(Traffic Accident Causation in Europe) had the ob jective of providing wi th an overview of the 
road accident causation issues in Europe ba sed on the analysis of all current available 
databases which include accident, injury, insura nce, medical and exposure data (including 
driver behaviour in normal driving conditions).  The idea was to id entify and quantify the 
nature of risk factors, in order to estimate the safety benefits of a selection of technology-
based safety functions. With regard to motorcyc les, the Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study 
(MAIDS) resulted in the most comprehensive in-depth database currently available for 
powered two wheelers accidents in Europe. The investigation was conducted during 3 years 
EN 57   EN on 921 accidents from 5 countries using a co mmon research methodology. Then, in order to 
identify the main causes of accidents involvi ng trucks, the European Commission and the 
International Road Transport Union (IRU) laun ched a scientific st udy on European Truck 
Accident Causation (ETAC). The experts team  has investigated altogether 624 accidents 
involving trucks. The project SAU (Urban accident  analysis system) focused on urban zones, 
developing a guide of “best practices” for the data collection, analysis and monitoring of 
traffic accidents. The project SARAC II (Quality  Criteria for the Safety Assessment of Cars 
based on Real-World Crashes) aimed at deve loping advanced method of safety ratings, 
improving classification of injury severity, im pact severity and vehicle damage. Finally, 
DaCoTa (Road safety data collection, transfer  and analysis) is a project funded under the 
Seventh Framework Programme aimed at furt her improving the European Road Safety 
Observatory (ERSO) by enhancing, structurin g and applying the data and knowledge it 
contains. It represents the follo w-up of the projects SafetyNet and SUNflower and involves 17 
partners from 13 countries. It covers subjects  such as accident data, measure evaluation and 
policy benchmarking with the aim of deve loping innovative mechanisms for exploiting 
existing data sources, to facilitate the analysis and to explore potential road safety improvements. It started in May 2009. Duration of the SafetyNet project: from 1 December 2004 to 1 December 2008. Duration of the MAIDS project: from  1 December 2001 to 1 December 2002. 
Duration of the PENDANT project: - fr om 1 January 2003 to 1 December 2005; 
- from 16 January 2006 to 15 July 2016. Duration of the ETAC project: from 1 May 2004 to 30 September 2006. Duration of the SARAC II project: from 1 March 2003 to 1 April 2006. Duration of the SAU project: from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2007. Duration of the TRACE project: from 1 January 2006 to 30 June 2008. Duration of the DaCoTa project: from 1 May 2009 to 31 October 2011. 
Duration of the PROLOGUE project: from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2011. 
Specific topic: statistical data 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: high results.  
Consistency with other measures: data collection is functiona l to all other measures 
concerning research and thematic analyses. Mo reover, this measure has a strong link with 
Measure 60 (linking hospital da ta and accident statistics). 
Outcomes 
The CARE database has been enhanced to incl ude, from 15 Member States, a total of 27 
Member States as well as Norway, Switzerland  and Iceland. A range of  standard statistical 
outputs from CARE (reports and factsheets) has been devel oped. New fatal and in-depth 
accident causation databases have been establ ished, in particular concerning motorcycles 
(MAIDS) and trucks (ETAC). The MAIDS study resu lted in a report that  has recently been 
updated (MAIDS, 2009) with a ne w presentation of the data, including a split between 
mopeds (L1) and motorcycle (L3), and a multivar iate analysis on fatal accidents describing 
the results achieved by the project. The ETAC study enabled the creation of a database to 
record all accident causes with around 3,000 para meters per accident. The results have been 
made available to the research community and other relevant parties with the final report 
(ETAC, 2006). The PENDANT research resulted in the definition of methods to assess 
collision severity and in the re view of the traffic injury outpu t scales; it also produced crash 
modelling methods for estimating casualty and injury reductions. Over 1,100 crashes have 
been investigated and the data were organise d in a new database. DaCoTA is expected to 
become one of ERSO major deliverers of knowl edge and data in the coming years. Within 
DaCoTA, the harmonising data methods will be fu rther applied, resulting in more and more 
standardised data product s on a European level. 
EN 58   EN Description of the impact: data collection and analysis prov ide a fundamental support to the 
definition of policy priorities and to the assessm ent of road safety initiatives and actions. The 
outcomes of the research will lead to a better understanding of road safety and will help to realise a safer road transport system. . 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): reported statistics need to be constantly 
improved. Moreover, they could be more detaile d in order to facilitate a deeper background 
analysis. Member States should be supported a nd encouraged to provide a complete set of 
data in line with the Europ ean criteria and requirements. 
Measure 60 
 
Assess and improve systems for linking hospita l data and national road accident statistics 
Objective : build a statistical and scientific basis contributing to the improvement of road 
safety.  Description: The goal of collecting data by medical in stitutions is twofold, namely estimating 
the real number of non-fatal casualties and obtai ning more information about injury severity 
and long term impact of traffic crashes. The objective was firstly addressed in the framework 
of the PENDANT project (see Measure 59), wh ich, among others, aimed at analysing both in-
depth database and hospital-based data systems, in order to develop a new hospital-based data 
system linked with police data. Besides, th e project SUPREME aime d at collecting and 
publishing best practices in road safety in nine  different categories of measures (see Measure 
57), carried out a specific st udy on the methods of collectin g data within the category 
“statistics and in depth analysis”. The project re fers to the results identified by the project 
SafetyNet. This project (see Measure 2) had the goal of developing the framework for the 
European Road Safety Observatory (ERSO), which assembles a coordinated set of data 
resources to support policy development. In par ticular, Work package 5 on statistics and in-
depth analysis reported on the practices for the collection of crash data and for linking 
medical files with crash data . The projects SUPREME and Safe tyNet identified the best 
practice in data collection a nd produced several recommenda tions regarding systems for 
linking hospital data and national road accident statistics. In particular, countries should: 
- try to monitor the level of reporting in offici al crash statistics by setting up reporting systems 
at hospitals; - encourage electronic linkages between sources of injury data or, ev en better, promote a 
system for electronically merging injury record s kept by hospitals and police reported injury 
crashes; - check the completeness of fatality records by comparing as many sources of data as possible (namely, crash registration by the police, court files with unnatu ral deaths, death causes file 
from the municipal records about popul ation, car insuran ce and hospitals). 
Duration of the SafetyNet project: from 1 December 2004 to 1 December 2008. Duration of the PENDANT project: fr om 1 January 2003 to 1 December 2005; 
- from 16 January 2006 to 15 July 2016. Duration of the SUPREME project: from 1 December 2005 to 1 June 2007. 
Specific topic: statistical data 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results.  
Consistency with other measures: data collection is functiona l to all other measures 
concerning research and thematic analyses. Mo reover, this measure has a strong link with 
Measure 59 (developing CARE database). 
Outcomes 
The project PENDANT, addressing th e shortfall in injury-crash da ta (see Measure 59), carried 
out an analysis of hospital ba sed data systems. A specific Thematic Report on the best 
practices related to the linkage hospital data  and national road acci dent statistics was 
published within the framework of SUPREM E (SUPREME, 2007). The SafetyNet project 
EN 59   EN produced two deliverables relevant to this sp ecific measure: the Final Report of task 1.5, 
analysing methods to estimate the real number of road accident casualties and a research 
dealing with the further enhancement and exploitation of the CARE system. 
What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): 
- studies designed to assess the level and accuracy of  reporting in official road crash statistics 
should be performed regularly; 
- studies should be made to determine the ex tent to which injuries recorded by medical 
institutions can be geogra phically located correctly; 
- studies should be made to determine the possibility of electronically merging police records 
and hospital records of traffic injury in ways th at will not violate the protection of the privacy; 
- a simple injury scale according to severity s hould be developed by medical professionals for 
use by the police and the health emergency services. 
Measure 61  
Develop specifications for on-board accident recording devices, and examine the consequences of various alternatives  for certain categories of vehicles 
Objective : supporting collision investigation and safety research. 
Description: Accident recording devices (ARDs) are in struments to record the data a couple 
of seconds prior and after a crash (therefore not involving behaviour monitoring). The aim is 
enhancing the understanding of how accidents and collisions happen, but also recognising the 
potential benefits for prevention and road safe ty. Moreover, their app lication can lead to 
improvements in different domain, namely in legal trials, in the applicat ion of victims’ rights 
and in fighting vehicle thefts, insurance frauds and other crim es. The data collected can be 
used not only for improving accident investig ation and speeding-up of court procedures, but 
also for enhanced research in in-depth data bases of real-life information, which allow for 
better evaluation of road safety measures in all fields (active and passive vehicle safety, 
infrastructure, training, regulati on and enforcement). In order to  understand the feasibility of 
implementing accident data recording technol ogy in Europe, the European Commission 
launched the project VERONICA  (Vehicle Event Recording based on Intelligent Crash 
Assessment). This study examined the relevant  information related to accident recording 
devices: technical specifications, application on different vehicle classes, harmonisation issues 
and medical and legal aspects, including privac y issues. It also analysed the impacts on 
accident prevention and traffic safety and cal culated the cost-benefit ratio. The project 
produced recommendation about the suitable lega l framework for on-board accident recording 
devices, in particular to improve the European ac cident databases with real-life collision data. 
The follow-up project, VERONICA II, further sp ecified the technical and legal requirements 
for a possible implementation of acci dent data recorders in European  vehicles. In particular, it 
has been studied how to capture not only hard crash data, but also data from soft collisions, i.e. with vulnerable road users, who represent a relevant part of road users and victims in 
accidents. A special focus was given to commerc ial and professional used vehicles. Besides 
these research activities, the Commission co-f unded the DRIVE II programme, a field test in 
the UK, Netherlands and Belgium (SAMOVAR-D RIVE project). The project focuses on low 
cost in-vehicle electronic syst ems for recording data related to  vehicle and its communications 
to other systems and databases. A total of 341 ve hicles equipped with different data recording 
technologies have been tested. The synthesis of  the results shows that the accident rate was 
reduced by 28% and the accident costs by 40%. Duration of the VERONICA project: from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2006. Duration of the VERONICA II project: from 1 May 2007 to 30 April 2009. 
Specific topic: statistical data 
Type of impact: indirect. 
Timing of the effects: medium term. 
Contribution to road safety: medium results. 
EN 60   EN Consistency with other measures: the work carried out in the framework of the two 
VERONICA projects is very much in line w ith the EC e-safety R&D initiatives, which 
provide for better accident data to enhance the research for vehicle and infrastructure safety 
and for accident mitigation. In particular, it ha s a strong connection with the Measures 58, 59 
and 60. 
Outcomes 
The Final Report (VERONICA, 2006)  incorporates the emerging finding from of the research 
carried out within the project. In particular, it presents a list of key information to be collected 
during a collision. Proposals are also made for recording frequencies. A number of target 
group characterised by an elevated accident or damage risk have been identified as priority for 
collision data collection: hazardous goods vehicl es, coaches, buses, emergency vehicles, other 
commercial vehicles, motorcycle s and young drivers. Concerning passengers cars, instead, the 
implementation of these devices is presently no t indicated, but it can be considered in the 
future. Description of the impact: Accident recording devices support an improved collision 
investigation, the collection of real-life data fo r research, rescue advancements, infrastructure 
and vehicle design improvements, all acknowledged  means to improve road safety. Moreover, 
besides the indirect impacts on road safety, the use of accident data recorders in fleets shows 
that a considerable preventive effect can be achieved. What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): the results of the research need to be 
applied. According to the recommendation c ontained in the VERONI CA II Final Report, a 
Directive based on the purpose of road safety would provide the best way to achieve the 
implementation of accident data recorder s in the European Union. Meanwhile, the 
acceptability of these devices to the public should be assessed. 
Measure 62 
 
Establish a European methodology for independen t road accident investigations and set up 
a group of independent experts meeting within the Commission. 
Objective : developing a common methodology in tr ansport accident investigations. 
Description: Accident investigations aim at identifyi ng the circumstances and the causes of 
accidents and drawing conclusions thereof so th at appropriate measures can be taken to 
prevent them from happening again. Currently, across Europe there is a wide range of 
accident investigation procedures and protoc ols in place applied by the police, insurance 
companies, researchers and other accident i nvestigators. In 2004 the European Commission 
set up a group of twelve experts to assist it in defining a shared  strategy in transport accident 
investigations (ROSAT working group, Road A ccident Independent Investigations). The 
ROSAT group aimed at defining a refere nce methodology for European and national 
authorities in order to allow independent, effect ive and competent safety investigations. It has 
issued recommendations on methodology issues ap plicable to all mode s of transport and 
recommendations on road accident inves tigations. Meanwhile, the project QUERY 
(Developing guidelines for a best practice qualifi cation of accident analysts) was initiated to 
investigate how the professional pr ofile of specialists in accident  reconstruction is integrated 
into the different legal systems of the EU Me mber States. At the same time, the SafetyNet 
project was launched. Within the project fram ework, the 4th Work Package brought together 
20 road safety researchers with the aim of es tablishing the requireme nts for the creation of 
transparent and independent road accident inves tigations in all Member States according to a 
common European investigation methodology. The fi nal objective is addr essing the need to 
have detailed, public, transparent and independent road accident data at European level. The 
research carried out an investigation of a sa mple of routine accidents as well as of major 
accidents and resulted in a set of recommendati on whose primary focus is on safety oriented 
investigation.  Duration of the ROSAT project: from 1 July 2004 to 31 July 2006. 
EN 61   EN Duration of the SafetyNet project: from 1 May 2004 to 31 October 2008. 
Duration of the QUERY project: from 15 July 2004 to 14 July 2006. 
Specific topic: statistical data  
Type of impact: indirect. 
Contribution to road safety: low results. 
Consistency with other measures: enhancing road accident investigation is consistent with 
the objective of expanding the scope  of CARE database to include the causes of accidents (see 
Measure 59). Already, specialist teams conducted sa fety oriented road accident investigations 
to gather data for the accident causation database developed in the framework of the SafetyNet Work Package 5. Moreover, there is a clear link with measures regarding vehicle safety; in fact, in order to assess the efficiency  of new vehicle safety sy stems there is the need 
to collect a great number of real -life accident data before gathering enough evidence to issue a 
general recommendation to incorporate a certain sy stem to all new vehicles. This evaluation 
process could be significantly e nhanced if accident data from  different countries could be 
combined thanks to a shared acc ident investigation strategy. In this regard is  relevant the 
subsidiary action with the obj ectives of the eSAFETY Forum Working Group on Accident 
Causation Data, that has been working for improved accident analysis methodologies (see 
Measure 37), and of the CARS  21 initiative, whose aim is making recommendations for the 
public policy and regulatory framework for the European automotive industry (see Measure 
21). There is also a clear link with measures  regarding infrastructure safety, since a 
prerequisite to help formulating road safety po licies is that a critical number of cases are 
investigated. In addition, independent inves tigations that system atically address the 
identification of potentially dangerous behaviour and recurr ent human mistakes support the 
definition of possible measures to deal with them. Finally, this measure is complementary 
with the aim of developing specifications for on-board accident recording devices (Measure 
61). In fact, accident recorders complete the information collected by police or other staff in 
order to obtain detailed information on accident  circumstances in a very useful manner for 
traffic safety research. 
Outcomes 
One of the ROSAT working group’s most impo rtant achievement was to develop a common 
European methodology for safety investigation of accidents in the transport sector designed to produce a harmonised and consistent approach ac ross the European Union. The final result is 
a 90 pages document and a list of 34 remarks,  conclusions and recommendations issued both 
at national and at EU level. The methodology a dopted establishes the principles, standards 
and powers to pursue safety inve stigations in an independent, effective and competent way. 
The QUERY project produced 25 Country Status Reports with an overview of the various 
legal systems and the require d professional qualifications of the experts in accident 
reconstruction. Through consultations with the pa rticipant countries, th e professional profile 
of the expert in accident re construction was analysed, and guidelines for a “Best Practice 
Qualification” were developed. The final result  was the adoption of the Proposal for European 
Guidelines in Accident Reconstruction. Finall y, the 4th Work Package of the SafetyNet 
project produced 21 recommendations (SafetyN et, 2008). According to the document, these 
recommendations should be viewed as the starting point for future projects aiming to 
implement a European safety oriented road accident investigation programme and working 
towards a common European acc ident investigation methodology. 
Description of the impact: proper accident investigati ons methodology can lead to 
significant improvement of knowledge concerning safety approaches in technical, 
infrastructural and driver behaviour terms.  What remains to be done (ERSAP 2011-2020): a comprehensive set of tools for a suitable 
pan-European in-depth accident data collect ion and analysis has been developed and 
EN 62   EN successfully tested. The concrete Europe -wide implementation is still missing. The 
development of a European framework on casualty  investigation should be further explored.  
EN 63   EN 2. PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THE POLI CY ORIENTATIONS ONROAD SAFETY 2011-  
2020 
The stakeholder consultation process 
Stakeholder consultation towards the develo pment of the next EU Road Safety policy 
orientations 2011-2020 was carri ed out by the European Co mmission between July and 
December 2009. The consultation process comprised a series of six thematic workshops, an internet consultation and a stakeholder conference, which took place on 2 December 2009
26.  
The consultation process produced proposals with  respect to the key road safety problems 
which should be addressed at European Union (EU), national and local level and 
recommendations for the development of the next road safety action programme. These 
proposals take into account that actions need not only achieve a positive impact on road safety 
as such but also in c onnected fields such as  public health, mobilit y, energy, the environment 
and the economy.  
Results of the stakeholder consultation process Problem analysis Road safety problems occur in terms of results (l evel of deaths, serious injuries, costs, levels 
of drinking and driving,  speeding, seat belt use etc.), in terms of meas ures to be taken for 
achieving improvement (e.g. improving user's  behaviour, improving the safety of 
infrastructure and of vehicles) and in terms of  the quality of institutional measures such as 
target-setting, legislation, funding, m onitoring and evaluation, R&D etc.  
Current situation Involvement in a road traffic crash is the l eading cause of death a nd hospital admission for 
citizens of the EU under 45 years. In 2008, there were 39,000 road traffic deaths and 
around 
300,000 casualties with seriously injured.  For every death, there are an estimated 4 permanently 
disabling injuries (such as to the brain or sp inal cord), 10 serious injuries and 40 minor 
injuries.  The estimated socio-economic costs are around €180 billion comprising 2% of GDP. 
The gap between the best and worst performi ng Member States is large with the best 
performing 3.5-4 times (in per capita  rate) better than the worst. 
The consultation identified current levels of road death, serious injury and socio-economic 
cost as the overarching problems for road safe ty in EU countries. Around two thirds of all 
fatal and serious injuries to road users occur outside urban areas, while most serious and fatal 
injuries to vulnerable road users such as pe destrians and children take place in urban areas .  
Number of death : The casualty groups which determine the priorities for reductions in total 
deaths in EU countries are car occupants  who comprised 50% of total deaths, powered two-
wheeler users  (motorcyclist deaths are increasing) and pedestrians  who comprised 18% and 
20% of deaths respectively in 2008. Road assessment data indicates that in middle-income 
                                                 
26 Technical assistance for the consultation process was provided by the COWI Consortium in partnership 
with Jeanne Breen Consulting and the University of Loughborough, UK. 
EN 64   EN countries the key target for action is the nation al road network and in high-income countries 
the target for action is the busy regional road network. The main crash types which need to be 
addressed are pedestrian and othe r vulnerable road user crashes, crashes at intersections, run-
off-road crashes and head-on crashes. For the EU  as a whole, around two- thirds of pedestrian 
deaths occur in built-up areas. 
Risk of death : The casualty groups which determine the pr iorities for reducti ons in numbers of 
deaths and serious injuries amongst highest risk  (number of deaths pe r 100,000 of population) 
groups in EU countries are young novice drivers, powered two-wheeler users, pedestrians 
and cyclists . The consultation highlighted the problems of an ageing society. In particular, the 
physical vulnerability of older road users contri buting to severe outcomes in road crashes will 
be an issue of increasing impor tance in the design and operation of the road traffic system. 
• What are the problems and how to deal with them 
Problems in dealing effectively with the problems relate to insufficient scope of road safety 
strategies, insufficient attention to the ev idence base and to addressing the needs and 
vulnerabilities of all road users. Stakeholders  acknowledged that fatal a nd serious injuries in 
road crashes are preventable a nd need to be addressed by meas ures in the field of planning, 
design, layout and operation of  the road infrastructure ne twork, improvement in vehicle 
safety, improved post-impact care as well as by securing better user compliance with 
important road safety rules through education, licensing, testing, training and enforcement.  
EU, national and local policies need to focus on the implementation of evidence-based 
approaches  to reduce exposure to the risk of death and serious injury; to prevent death and 
serious injury; to mitigate the severity of in jury when a crash occurs and to reduce the 
consequences of injury. Measures need to better address the safety of all road users and take 
account of future demographics, notably the physi cal vulnerability of the elderly. The need to 
address and reduce excessive and inappropriate speed, in sufficient seat belt wearing and 
crash helmet use, impaired driving, high novice driver - and high PTW-rider risk  were cited 
throughout the consultation, as were the need for improved safety quality of vehicles and 
road infrastructure for all users  and improved emergency medical response . 
• Institutional management issues 
The internet consultation responses highlighted the lack of political willingness to prioritize 
road safety, insufficient integrat ion and coordination of activity and lack of high-level review 
of safety management performance as the ke y problems in institutional leadership and 
coordination in EU countries.  
Stakeholders, in general, believed that there was insufficient harmonization  o f  r o a d  s a f e t y  
rules and standards and mechanisms for their co mpliance. Legislation to improve road safety 
needed to be underpinned by research and devel opment, cost-benefit analysis and systematic 
monitoring and evaluation. Problems of obtaining resources  commensurate with the size of 
the road traffic injury problem  are perennial for road safety a nd are identified as  an important 
obstacle by stakeholders throughout the consultation. Insufficient promotion and 
communication  on road safety were also pe rceived as key problems.  
Respondents to the internet consul tation rated the lack of periodic , independent review of road 
safety performance, the lack of health se ctor monitoring to establish under-reporting of 
EN 65   EN injuries and the lack of harmonised definition of serious injury as the main problems in 
monitoring and evaluation.  
A key problem for road safety high lighted in the consultation is the need to continue to apply 
research-based measures at EU, national and local levels,  to achieve interim results and to 
identify future solutions.  Improving performance of all EU countries relied upon more 
effective knowledge transfer . Strengthened institutional management capacity to address the 
problems mentioned above was highlighted as the major necessary step in making a difference to the road safety situation in the next decade in Europe.  
Recommendations for action at EU, national and local levels
 
The consultation outlined the need for the EU a nd Member States to address levels of death 
and serious injury throughout th e road network – both in built -up and non built-up areas; to 
reduce levels of socio-economic cost; to adop t and promote a long-term vision to eradicate 
death and serious injury and to  set challenging but achievable quantitative interim targets. 
A long-term shared vision and interim targets 
At EU level: 
Adopt a long-term shared vision across the road safety partnership for the future safety of the road traffic system 
(Safe System) for the ERSAP, the European Road Safety Charter and the European Road Safety Observatory in line with internationally recommended good practice. 
 
Identify and adopt a shared interim target to reduce the number of deaths by a challenging but achievable percentage within the period 2011 – 2020 as the focus for road safety action. Set up small sub-group of experts 
and officials to consider existing proposals and related analysis on specific targeted levels of deaths. Identify and 
adopt a separate shared interim target to reduce the number  of serious injuries in EU countries based on Member 
States definitions of serious injury. Consider the adoption of quantitative targets to reduce the risk of death for 
key vulnerable and unprotected road user groups e.g. for children. Ensure  visions, targets and strategies are 
adopted as a condition of new EU membership. 
At national and local levels: 
Adopt a long-term vision (Safe System), interim outcome targets and also target intermediate outcomes (e.g. 
levels of seat belt use, reductions in mean speeds) and institutional outputs(e. g. numbers of breath tests, % of 
vehicle fleet with 4*+ ) in new national and local road safety strategies  
 
Leadership role and capacity Road safety takes place in a complex multi-sect oral context and requires careful governmental 
leadership.
 Effective lead agencies can take many forms and, in good practice, carry out a 
range of specific functions. In the internet  consultation, stakeholder meetings and in 
additional written contributi ons, several organisations hi ghlighted the need for the 
establishment of a European Road Safety Agency.   
At EU, national and local levels 
Review governmental lead agency arrangements, capacity and support for developing, agreeing and 
implementing new road safety visions, targets, and strategies. 
 Consider the establishment of a Europe an Road Safety Agency at EU level. 
EN 66   EN  
Integration of policies and c oordination arrangements to ach ieve road safety results 
The scope for improvement in coordination of road  safety between different sectors with road 
safety responsibilities as well as between EU, national, regional and local levels was a general 
observation in the public consultation. The health sector  need to take up road safety as a core 
responsibility and the ‘win-win s’ of speed management for the transport, health and 
environment sectors were emphasised in part icular. The value of engaging employers to 
introduce work-related road safety policies was al so highlighted, as was the value of engaging 
cities in effective EU-funded municipal road sa fety initiatives. The n eed to support effective 
activity by the non-governmental sect or was highlighted as well. 
At EU and national levels: 
Review coordination arrangements across government and in view of international best practice for the 
establishment and implementation of the action programme to achieve results. Transport, health, justice and police, work, environment, industry , finance and municipalities form the key partnerships which can help to 
deliver results.  
Engage Parliament, business and civil society in the consultative process pr eceding decision making.
 
 
Legislation and harmonisation to achieve road safety results 
Most stakeholders believed that EU and nati onal legislation to se t minimum standards of 
safety but offering a high leve l of protection for the road network, vehicles and users 
continues to be necessary and appropriate. Ha rmonisation to produce road safety results needs 
to be underpinned by research and development,  systematic monitoring and evaluation, cost-
benefit assessment and large-scale demonstrati on projects in the case of new technologies. 
At EU and national levels: 
Recognise that a legislative framework for road safety at EU and national levels co ntinues to be essential. 
Expand harmonisation on road safety where EU action can add road safety value to cover standards/ type 
approval , technical inspection, audit in the fields of infrastructure and vehicles as well as improved user 
standards (e.g. harmonised maximum blood alcohol limits and speed limits); cross border enforcement; public 
procurement policy etc . 
Carry out cost-benefit analyses of proposed legislative measures to ensure that the Commission’s requirement of 
achieving a positive impact on road safety and public health while also improving mobility, energy, the environment and th e economy is met.
  
Funding and resource allocation  to achieve road safety results 
Funding problems were identified as a key obstacl e to achieving results by  stakeholders in the 
internet consultation and thematic workshops. The EU was urged to establish an EU Road 
Safety Fund; to provide further support for the EU twinning programme to enable best 
practice and with emphasis on road safety management capacity development; to apply 
specific safety criteria in transport and TEN-T pr ojects and to continue to fund research and 
development and demonstration projects.  
EN 67   EN At EU and national levels: 
Review resource levels needed for th e implementation of new programmes.  
 
Establish an EU Road Safety Fund for the Road Safety Action Programme.  
 
Provide financial incentives and premium discounts for the take-up of demonstrably effective road safety 
equipment and promote clear incentives for safe driving.  
 
Fund twinning and demonstr ation projects to develop good practice ro ad safety managemen t capacity and to 
support effective RSAP measures in EU and neighbouring  countries with lower levels of safety performance. 
 
Specify safety criteria in structural funds, public procurement, transport and TEN-T projects.  
 
Support road safety research as well as demonstration projects. 
 Support EU umbrella NGOs and the extension of networks of NGOs active in road safety. 
 
Establish any benefits for road safety of the internalisation of road crash costs and set out an EU route map for the internalisation of external road crash costs. 
 
Promote cost-benefit analysis in resource allocation, use of ‘willi ngness to pay’ and update values.  
 
Promotion of shared responsibility to achieve results The consultation results emphasised that road safety requires promoti on at a high level both 
inside and outside government aided by a shared vi sion and targets for the future safety of the 
traffic system. In-house safe travel policies, publ ic procurement of safety equipment and best 
practice communication policie s were also highlighted. 
At EU, national and local levels: 
Promote a shared EU road safety vision and EU and national targets at the highest levels of government, 
business and civil society in communications policies, through the European Road Safety Charter and European 
Road Safety Observatory as well as in action programmes. 
 Show organisational lead ership at EU, national and local levels in pu blic and private sectors by introducing in-
house safe travel policies. 
 Amend EU legislation to include the promotion of clean, safe
 and energy-efficient road transport vehicles in 
public procurements. 
 Promote best practice in road safety communication policies and proven measures which reduce deaths and 
serious injuries in the context of the European Road Safety Charter, the European Road Safety Observatory and 
in national and local frameworks .
 
 
Monitoring and evaluation of results The need for EU and national actions to impr ove monitoring and evaluation came out very 
strongly from the consultation and a wi de range of actions were recommended.
  
EN 68   EN At EU level: 
Monitor the effects of road safety targets, strategies, individual measures, including European Road Safety 
Charter - inspired measures and establish a high-level r eview team to report on progress and to make further 
recommendations based on evaluation.  
Develop, promote and establish a single EU-reporting system for crash injury , exposure and other data. Adopt a 
standard EU definition for ‘s evere’ and ‘minor’ injury and apply it across databases. 
 
Ensure computerized health sector mo nitoring of death and serious injury in road crashes in every Member State 
and conduct studies to ascertain  levels of under-reporting in
 the CARE system data. 
 
Stimulate detailed in-depth investigations based on established protocols.  
 
Promote and support independent review of road safety management across the EU and elsewhere. 
 Establish regular public opinion surveys on road safety. 
At national and local levels: 
Establish/improve the quality of crash injury databases  and data sharing arrangements between police, roads- 
and health authorities and estab lish levels of under-reporting. 
 
Carry out annual surveys and analyses to collect key ex posure data and safety performance data and establish 
national databases on in termediate outcome data (.e.g. speed, seat  belt use in normal traffic) and institutional 
output data (e.g. numbers of breath te sts, speed checks etc.) in line with be st practice for national strategies on 
speed management, increasing seat belt use, reducing drinking and driving and improving roads and vehicle fleet quality. 
 
Submit national road safety performance to independent peer review in line with ITF/OECD recommendations. 
 
Research, development and knowledge transfer Many respondents and written co ntributions highlighted stak eholder support for continuing 
research and knowledge transfer which is seen as  key to past successes in reducing casualties, 
a pre-requisite for further improvement and a m eans by which Europe ca n continue to be the 
global leader in road safety.
 The value of the European Road Safety Observatory, the 
Framework Research Programme and road sa fety twinning activities were highlighted 
regularly. The need to build and transfer knowledge on Safe System  approaches was 
mentioned several times at the Stakeholder Conference and in the thematic workshops. 
EN 69   EN At EU level:  
Establish the European Road Safety Observatory as a permanent EU-funded structure as a source of 
information and knowledge for all with appropriate human and financial resources and preserving and 
strengthening the original aims of ERSO as an established and valuable source of knowledge and data for safety decision-making. 
 
Establish authoritative EU best practice guidelines agreed by Member States to be applied across the road safety management systems. 
 
Promote the development of more‘best practice’ resources/ tools for implementation e.g. road safety management capacity review and target-setting tools. 
 
Support capacity building demonstration projects in countries with poor safety results. 
At national and local levels: 
Establish capacity in-house and with external partners of road safety research and establish a national research 
strategy. 
 
Build and transfer knowledge based on Safe System approaches.  
Develop and promote best practice guidelines particularly in enforcement & engineering. 
 Embark on ‘peer to peer’ twinning activity and professional training at  decision-making and practitioner levels 
for knowledge transfer on effective and innovative activity.
 
 
Towards a safe system Stakeholders acknowledged that serious and fatal injury in road crashes is preventable and 
that existing knowledge identifies the opportunity  towards safer road networks, safer vehicle 
fleets, safer emergency medical systems as well as  safer drivers, passengers, riders, cyclists 
and pedestrians. 
Planning, design and operation of road infrastructure  Consultation results indicate th at road safety engineering and network management should be 
actively promoted and supported at  EU, national and local levels.
 Safety engineering 
measures represent a sound investment and a highe r benefit/cost ratio, in general, than for 
other road engineering measures.  Action is needed to improve road safety on non-urban, non-
motorway roads as they account for around 60% of  deaths, nearly 50% of cyclist deaths and 
around 30% pedestrians. Urban safety manage ment and lowering urban speeds are also 
essential measures bearing in mind the lower human tolerance thresholds of pedestrians, 
children, older users and two wheeler users.  
EN 70   EN At EU level: 
Apply the Infrastructure Safety Directive providing for sa fety impact assessment, safety audit, safety inspection 
and network safety management on TEN-T roads to all roads. 
 Develop authoritative EU guid ance/best practice guidelines covering a range of safety engineering issues and 
establish a process of obta ining agreement on EU level guidelines, e.g. land use planning, urban safety 
management; speed management, self-explaining, crash–protective roads and innovative approaches which contribute to the Safe System approach. 
 
Expand the Cross Border Green Corridor concept to Cross Border Green and Safe
 Corridor to include road 
safety criteria. 
 
Set minimum standards based on 4 star EuroRAP levels for the TEN-T network. 
 
Establish road safety engineering criteria for inclusion in EU project investment. 
 
Play a role in the harmonisation of technical standards (skid resistance, barriers, markings, proven new 
technologies etc) to ensure minimum standards.  
Promote, standardise and provide for deployment of ISA (Intelligent Speed Adaptation) and other demonstrably 
effective technologies.  
Promote consumer information (EuroRAP/i RAP) on the risk of specific roads par ticularly in countries of the last 
EU enlargement and in neighbouring countries.   
Promote better crash injury and survey data on road network risks. 
 Fund demonstration projects and research evaluation for innovative safety engineering, promising new 
technologies as well as co-operative effo rts between vehicle and infrastructure providers to achieve safe travel on 
the network. 
At national, regional and local levels: 
When revising road functional classifications and hierarchies, ensure that an appropriate match between 
function, speed limit, design and layout is achieved wh ich takes better account of non-motorised as well as 
motorised use. 
 Adopt Safe System approaches to road safety engineering and periodically review national standards, guidelines 
and processes against international good practice. 
Implement 30km/h zones in residential areas to improve vulnerable road user safety. Support and join EuroRAP/iRAP and conduct EuroRAP/iRAP risk mapping and protection scores to help assess 
the safety quality of roads. 
 Apply safety impact assessment, audit, inspection and network safety management procedures to new road and 
improvement projects. 
Vehicle safety 
The consultation process demonstrated that the potential substantial op portunities for further 
casualty reduction resulting from improved ve hicle safety and new technologies are well-
appreciated. The vehicle safety workshop conc luded that linking preventative, active and 
passive safety, cooperative systems for motor ve hicle occupants and vulne rable road users are 
necessary. The need to provide vehicles with facilities to simplify the driving task and to 
ensure their design and equipment to protect the vulnerable human being as effectively as 
possible, both inside and outside  the vehicle, were seen as key casualty reduction issues. The 
consultation process noted the importance of EU  action on vehicle safe ty in particular, and 
recommended a range of actions to promote the use of vehicle safety rating and fast-tracking 
EN 71   EN of provision of proven safety equipment thr ough safety ratings and public procurement; 
further harmonisation of vehicle standards and a range of research and development needs.  
At EU level: 
Amend current EU legislation to include the promotion of clean, safe  and energy-efficient ro ad transport vehicles 
in public procurement. 
Promote effective technologies such as ISA, alcolocks, seat belt reminders in procurement policies to encourage 
consumer uptake.  
 
Promote consumer information on the comparative safety of vehicles to encourage rapid changes to vehicle 
design before 2020. 
 
Provide a route map for the implementation of Intelligent Speed Adaptation and Event Data Recorder systems 
 
Extend current legislation on seat belt reminders to include fitment in rear seats as well as front seats.  
Remove the exemption for use of seat belts by taxi drivers. 
 Develop and propose standardized test  methods for car to car compatib ility; truck to car compatibility and 
improved methods for front, side and rear impacts. 
 Legislate for whole vehicle type approval for powered tw o wheelers such as effective anti-tampering devices, the 
fitment of front number plates to aid speed enforcemen t and mandatory ABS for all two wheeled motor vehicles. 
 Increase focus on the needs of vulnerable road users in new vehicle safety technologies including pedestrian 
detection and collision avoidance devices , motorcycle design and equipment. 
 Legislate for the construction and use of vans and small lorries (< 3.5 ton) as for heavy good vehicles.  
Require the fitment of alcolocks in h eavy goods vehicles and public transport vehicles and promote their use.  
Study the road safety value of a system of continuous compliance to be installed and/or a system for providing 
technical information for every vehicle 
Study the road safety value of legislating for a PTW roadworthiness test .  
 
Implement an EC task force to focus Commission work on new vehicle safety technologies in order to identify the 
systems with expected most e ffective casualty reduction. 
 
Develop safety assessment procedur es for intelligent system s, human machine interf ace (HMI) evaluations, 
identification of systems with greatest casualty potential.  
Develop and implement a systematic programme of eval uation of EU legislation and vehicle technologies 
including cost-benefit analyses.  
Carry out research into the safety aspects of electric vehicles. 
At national and local levels: Engage fully in international legislative development work.  
 
Carry out national research and monitoring of vehicle safety measures.  
Support and join the European New Car Assessment Programme. 
 Encourage financial incentives for the use of protective equipment. 
 
Encourage national car indust ry to fast- track key safety measures recommended by EuroNCAP through in-house 
travel policies and public procurement. 
Road users - licensing, testing, trai ning, information and enforcement 
EN 72   EN The main road user strategy recommended in th e consultation was to aim for users who are 
adequately educated and informed about key sa fety behaviours and their fitness to use the 
roads; restricted against action which may lead to death and seri ous injury through a variety of 
means (including self-enforcing vehicle and road  engineering measures) and deterred through 
police and automatic enforcement.  A range of recommendations were made during the 
consultation in relation to further EU harm onisation of licensing, testing and training. The 
most important of these recommendations for ca sualty reduction are graduated licensing for 
novice drivers and riders to  reduce exposure to high risk. The most important 
countermeasures relating to enforcement were assessed to be combin ed publicity and high 
visibility police enforcement of important safety rules, deterrence of drinking and 
driving/riding, enforcement of speed limits, s eat belt and crash helmet  use and cross-border 
enforcement. The important role of the vehicl e and the EU in helping to achieve compliance 
through seat belt reminders, ISA, alcolocks etc. was acknowledged. 
At EU level:  
Harmonise further licensing, testing and training for all motor vehicle drivers and improve the safety quality of 
the whole package based on evidence and best practice. 
Harmonise graduated licensing for novice drivers and riders to include accompanied driving; probationary 
periods (not driving alone at night time, zero blood alcohol content, and stricter demerit point system). 
Harmonise cross-border enforcement  Review age of access to riding/driving different motor vehicles based on international best safety practice.  
Harmonise further qualifications of motor vehicle driving examiners and vehicle inspectors. 
Develop authoritative best practice guidelines/protocols in support of key areas of enforcement. 
At national level and local levels:  
Carry out social marketing campaigns and combined enforcement and publicity to encourage compliance with 
key safety rules. 
Introduce owner liability for automated enforcement offences. 
Introduce rehabilitation programs for offenders 
 
Post-impact care 
While the Internet consultation process did not  expressly seek opinions concerning problems 
and priorities in this field, rese arch shows that the quality of the emergency medical system 
can have an important beari ng on the survivability after crashes and the prevention of 
disability. For major injuries, clinical expert s define the post-impact care needed in EU 
countries as the chain of help starting with ac tion taken by the victims themselves or more 
commonly by lay bystanders at the scene of th e crash, emergency rescue, access to the pre-
hospital medical care system, and trauma car e and helping road crash victims who have 
suffered debilitating injury re-integrate into work and family life.  The importance of post-
crash care was highlighted both in the them atic workshops and wr itten contributions.  
EN 73   EN At EU, national and local levels: 
Acknowledge that the quality of the emergency medical system is key to achieving a safe traffic system. 
Review the potential contribution of improved emergency medical response to targets and strategies. 
Measure emergency medical response times between the crash scene and arrival at a medical centre against 
international best practice. 
Promote first responder schemes and in-service training for professional and commercial drivers.  
Promote eCall.  
* * * 
EN 74   EN ANNEX 
List of the sixty-two measures in the Euro pean Road Safety Action Program 2001 – 2010 
N° MEASURE MAIN DOMAIN SPECIFIC 
TOPIC STATE OF 
IMPLEMENTATION
1 Reduce the number of road 
deaths by 50 % by 2010. GENERALS monitoring & 
evaluation  medium 
2 
  Evaluate the progress made, 
compared with the target, by 
Means of appropriate 
performance indicators at 
Community and national 
levels. GENERALS 
  monitoring & 
evaluation 
 
 medium 
  
3   Provide a report in 2005 on 
monitoring of the target, action carried out and modifications 
needed as a result of 
enlargement and, where appropriate, propose new 
measures. GENERALS 
  monitoring & 
evaluation 
 
 complete 
  
4  Invite all parties concerned to 
sign a European Road Safety 
Charter. GENERALS 
   
building 
stakeholder 
commitment  medium 
 
5  Propose the introduction of 
harmonised road safety criteria in public service contracts. GENERALS 
 monitoring & 
evaluation 
 low 
 
6 
 
 Study, together with the 
European haulage industry, 
additional measures which insurers could take to pass the 
cost of accident risks on more 
directly. GENERALS 
 
 building 
stakeholder 
commitment 
 
 medium 
 
 
7  Set up a European Road 
Safety Observatory within the 
Commission. GENERALS 
 monitoring & 
evaluation 
 complete 
 
8  Propose measures to 
strengthen checks and ensure the proper enforcement of the 
most important safety rules. USERS' 
BEHAVIOUR 
 enforcement 
 medium 
 
9 Develop best practice 
guidelines as regards police 
checks. USERS' 
BEHAVIOUR enforcement complete 
EN 75   EN 10 
 
 Collect, compare and publish 
information on national 
highway codes, and on 
infringements established and penalties imposed in the 
various countries.  USERS' 
BEHAVIOUR 
 
 road safety 
awareness 
 
 high 
 
 
11 
 
 Participate in awareness 
campaigns about drinking and 
driving, seat belts, speed and 
fatigue, if possible combined with national police activities. USERS' 
BEHAVIOUR 
 
 road safety 
awareness 
 
 high 
 
 
12 
 
 
 Encourage the application of 
the recommendation on the 
blood alcohol limit; continue 
work on the effects of drugs 
and medicines; establish 
appropriate classification and labelling of medicines which 
affect driving ability. USERS' 
BEHAVIOUR 
 
 
 impaired 
driving 
 
 
 low 
 
 
 
13  Harmonise, over time, the 
penalties for the main infringements of the rules of 
the road for international 
hauliers. USERS' 
BEHAVIOUR 
 enforcement 
 low 
 
14  
 
  Amend Directive 91/439/EEC 
on driving licences in order to 
introduce in particular 
minimum standards for car driving examiners and a 
staged driving licensing system 
for motorcyclists, trucks and bus drivers to reduce accident 
risks among inexperienced 
drivers. DRIVING LICENCE 
 
 
  driving 
education & 
training 
  
 
 complete 
 
 
  
15  
 
 Continue work on reviewing, in 
the light of scientific progress, 
minimum standards for 
physical and mental fitness to drive and study the impact of 
medical examinations on road 
safety. DRIVING LICENCE 
 
 
 driving 
education & 
training 
  
 complete 
 
 
 
16  Work towards establishing a 
scientific approach to learning 
how to drive and to road safety 
training, from school age. DRIVING LICENCE 
 driving 
education & 
training 
 high 
 
EN 76   EN 17 
 Continue specific work on 
young drivers and 
rehabilitation methods to 
reduce re-offending. DRIVING LICENCE 
 driving 
education & 
training 
 medium 
 
18  Encourage the general use of 
crash helmets by all two-wheel 
motor vehicle users. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 power-two 
wheel 
 medium 
 
19   Study the effectiveness of 
crash helmet use by cyclists in different age groups, as well as 
the impact on bicycle use and 
the measures to be taken, 
where appropriate, at EU level. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 
 vulnerable 
road users 
 
 suspended 
  
20  
 
 The Commission will continue 
to support EuroNCAP to 
enable further progress to be 
made, to raise awareness among and inform consumers 
and to strengthen the 
representation of the Member States. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 
  building 
stakeholder 
commitment 
  
 high 
 
 
 
21   Develop a harmonised 
specification for the installation of audible or visual seat belt 
reminder systems and promote 
their universal use by voluntary agreement. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 
 vehicle 
occupants protection 
 
 medium 
  
22  Introduce universal anchorage 
systems for child restraint 
devices. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 vehicle 
occupants 
protection  low 
 
23  Improve cars to reduce the 
severity of accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 vulnerable 
road users 
 medium 
 
24 Study the causes of and ways 
of preventing whiplash injuries. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY vehicle 
occupants 
protection medium 
25 Support the development of 
smart restraint systems. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY vehicle 
occupants 
protection medium 
EN 77   EN 26 
 
 Adapt to technical progress the 
front, side and rear-end impact 
directives for lo rries to limit 
vehicle under-run, and introduce energy absorption 
criteria. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 
 vehicle crash 
compatibility 
 
 low 
 
 
27 Make vehicles more 
compatible. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY vehicle crash 
compatibility low 
28 
 Examine the impact on road 
safety of the proliferation of 4 x 
4s, sports utility vehicles and 
multi-purpose vehicles. PASSIVE VEHICLE 
SAFETY 
 vehicle crash 
compatibility 
 high 
 
29  Examine the wide-scale use of 
daytime running lights on all 
vehicles. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 accident 
prevention 
 high 
 
30 Improve the visibility of heavy 
duty vehicles. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES accident 
prevention complete 
31 
 Eliminate blind spots towards 
the rear for drivers of heavy duty vehicles. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 accident 
prevention 
 complete 
 
32 Assess measures to reduce 
tyre-related accidents. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES accident 
prevention medium 
33 
 Examine driver impairment 
detection devices, e.g. alcohol ignition interlocks (‘alcolocks’) 
and driver fatigue detectors.  ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 impaired 
driving 
 low 
 
34 
 Examine national trials of 
intelligent speed adaptation 
devices and assess their acceptability to the public. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 accident 
prevention 
 high 
 
35 
 Improved motorcycle safety 
through legislation or voluntary 
agreements with the industry. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 power-two 
wheel 
 medium 
 
36  Examine the benefits of 
harmonising the approval of 
adaptations to vehicles for 
persons with reduced mobility. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 accident 
prevention 
 low 
 
37   Adopt a long-term plan 
concerning information and communication systems in the 
field of road safety and 
establish the necessary regulatory framework for ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 
 accident 
prevention 
 
 medium 
  
EN 78   EN  implementing such systems.    
38 
 
  
 Identify priority areas for the 
development and 
implementation of performance standards to optimise the man-
machine interface and the road 
safety potential of telematic applications. Ensure 
compliance with the 
declaration of principles concerning the human-
machine interface. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
  
 
 accident 
prevention 
  
 
 medium 
 
  
 
39 
  Examine, together with the 
Member States, the need to include new onboard 
electronics systems in 
roadworthiness testing. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 
 accident 
prevention 
 
 medium 
  
40  Determine and encourage best 
practices so as to improve the efficiency of periodic 
compulsory inspections at the 
lowest cost. ACTIVE SAFETY 
OF VEHICLES 
 accident 
prevention 
 medium 
 
41 
 
  Submit a proposal for a 
framework directive on road 
infrastructure safety with a view to introducing a system 
for the harmonised 
management of black spots and road safety audits for 
roads on the trans-European 
network. INFRASTRUCTURE
 
   infrastructure
 
  complete 
 
  
42  
 
 Draw up technical guidelines 
concerning infrastructure, 
notably for low cost measures, 
audit methods, urban safety management, speed 
moderation techniques and 
forgiving roadsides. INFRASTRUCTURE
 
 
 infrastructure 
 
 medium 
 
 
 
43 Draw up good practice 
guidelines for level-crossing 
safety. INFRASTRUCTURE  infrastructure low 
44 
 Assess the safety impact of 
projects receiving Community funding and concerning an 
entire area. INFRASTRUCTURE
  infrastructure
 low 
 
EN 79   EN 45 
 
 
 Adapt to technical progress the 
Community standards 
applicable to road equipment 
and ensure a high level of protection, notably by making 
road sides less hazardous in 
the event of an accident. INFRASTRUCTURE
 
 
 infrastructure 
 
 low 
 
 
 
46  Carry out research and 
demonstration projects on 
‘intelligent roads’. INFRASTRUCTURE
   
infrastructure medium 
 
47 
 Achieve a high level of safety 
in tunnels, notably through 
standards and user information. INFRASTRUCTURE
  infrastructure
 high 
 
48  
 Adoption and incorporation in 
national legislation of a 
European Parliament and 
Council directive on the 
training of commercial drivers. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS 
 
 professional 
drivers 
 
 complete 
 
 
49  Tighter legislation (and 
enforcement) of driving and rest periods for commercial 
road haulage. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS 
 impaired 
driving 
 medium 
 
50 Installation of digital 
tachographs in commercial 
vehicles. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS professional 
drivers 
 complete 
51 Best practice guidelines 
concerning company policies. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS professional 
drivers  low 
52 
 Best practice guidelines 
concerning the securing of 
loads and the carriage of exceptional loads. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS 
 professional 
drivers 
  complete 
 
53  Adapting to technical progress 
the Community legislation 
concerning the carriage of hazardous goods. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS 
 professional 
drivers 
  complete 
 
54  Making the wearing of 
seatbelts mandatory in 
coaches and heavy goods 
vehicles. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS 
 professional 
drivers 
 
 complete 
 
EN 80   EN 55 
 Introducing protection rules for 
vehicles regularly used for 
the carriage of children PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS 
 vehicle 
occupants 
protection medium 
 
56  Examining the impact on road 
safety of the growing use of small commercial vehicles and 
company vehicles. PROFESSIONAL 
DRIVERS 
 professional 
drivers 
 complete 
 
57 
 Examine best practice with 
regard to post-accident 
medical care. ACCIDENTOLOGY 
 post crash 
medical care complete 
 
58 
  Draw up specifications for 
satellite-positioning accident-warning systems and carry out 
demonstration projects 
involving the whole chain of 
emergency service provision. ACCIDENTOLOGY 
  post crash 
medical care complete 
  
59   
 Develop the CARE database 
and widen access to it, in the interest of achieving greater 
transparency and encouraging 
its use; expand CARE to include hazard exposure 
variables and the causes of 
accidents. ACCIDENTOLOGY 
  
 statistical 
data 
 
 
 medium 
  
 
60 
 Assess and improve systems 
for linking hospital data and 
national road accident 
statistics. ACCIDENTOLOGY 
 statistical 
data 
 medium 
 
61   Develop specifications for on-
board accident recording devices, and examine the 
consequences of various 
alternatives for certain categories of vehicles. ACCIDENTOLOGY 
  statistical 
data 
 
 medium 
  
62   Establish a European 
methodology for independent road accident investigations 
and set up a group of 
independent experts meeting 
within the Commission. ACCIDENTOLOGY 
  statistical 
data 
 
 complete 
  
EN 81   EN Statistical annex 
EN 82   EN Road fatalities by country   
 
2001 2009 2009 - 2001
Belgique/België 145 90 -36%
България  (Bulgaria) 128 118 -11%
Česká republika 130 87 -32%
Danmark 81 55 -30%
Deutschland 85 51 -40%
Eesti 146 75 -50%
Éire/Ireland 107 54 -42%
Ελλάδα  (Elláda) 172 130 -23%
España 136 58 -53%
France 138 67 -48%
Italia 125 68 -43%
Κύπρος  (Kypros)/Kibris 140 89 -28%
Latvija 236 112 -54%
Lietuva 202 110 -48%
Luxembourg 159 97 -33%
Magyarors zág 121 82 -34%
Malta 41 51 31%
Nederland 62 39 -35%
Österreich 119 76 -34%
Polska 145 120 -17%
Portugal 163 79 -50%
România 112 130 14%
Slovenija 140 84 -38%
Slovensko 114 64 -43%
Suomi/Finland 84 53 -36%
Sverige 66 39 -39%
United Kingdom 61 38 -35%
EU 113 69 -36%Fatalities by 
populationEvolution of fatalities 
2001 - 2009
 
EN 83   EN  
Evolution of fatalities 1990 - 2010
54000
49900
46200
39600
36700
34000
31 500
29200
2700074900 75400
70700
654006390063200
5940060300590005770056400
5400053300
50400
47300
45400
431 0042500
345004280038900
20000300004000050000600007000080000
1 990 1 991 1 992 1 993 1 994 1 995 1 996 1 997 1 998 1 999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 201 0
Source: - CARE  (E U road accidents database)
              - National data   201 0 objective
EU fatalities
 
 
 %  evolution of road fatalities 2001 - 2009
-60%
-50%
-40%
-30%
-20%
-10%
0%
10%LV ES EE PT FR LT SK IT IE DE SE SI EU BE FI NL UK AT HU LU CZ DK CY EL PL BG RO MT
Sour ce: CARE (EU r oad accidents database)2009-2001 EU
 
EN 84   EN  Road Accidents by area (*)
2008 % 2001 % 2008 - 2001
EU road accidents total 1.233.923 1.463.1 07 -16%
urban area 850.098 69% 986.602 67% -14%
motorway 58.229 5% 75.535 5% -23%
rural 324.738 26% 400.794 27% -19%
2008 % 2001 % 2008 - 2001
EU road fatalities total 38.874 54.298 -28%
urban area 14.999 39% 19.793 37% -24%
motorway 2.219 6% 3.557 7% -38%
rural 21.650 56% 30.81 5 57% -30%
2008 2001 2008 - 2001
Severity total 3 4 -15%
(killed by 100 accidents )inside 2 2 -12%
motorway 4 5 -19%
rural 7 8 -13%
Road fatalities by transport mode
2008 % 2001 % 2008 - 2001
pedestrian 8.147 21% 10.491 19% -22%
car 18.947 49% 28.978 53% -35%
motorcyc le 5.247 13% 5.440 10% -4%
mope d 1.476 4% 2.306 4% -36%
bus 128 0% 322 1% -60%
bicycle 2.521 6% 3.510 6% -28%
agricultural veh. 208 1% 306 1% -32%
heavy goo ds ve h. 830 2% 1.121 2% -26%
lorry 847 2% 1.152 2% -26%
other 615 2% 658 1% -7%
-7%
Road fatalities by age
2008 % 2001 % 2008 - 2001
<15 1.077 3% 2.034 4% -47%
15-17 1.315 3% 1.983 4% -34%
18-24 6.758 17% 10.039 18% -33%
25-49 15.103 39% 21.555 40% -30%
50-64 6.647 17% 7.989 15% -17%
>=65 7.732 20% 9.692 18% -20%
Road fatalities by driver age
2008 % 2001 % 2008 - 2001
car
18-24 2.843 23% 4.448 23% -36%
25-49 5.602 45% 9.198 48% -39%
50-64 2.048 16% 2.779 15% -26%
>=65 1.901 15% 2.333 12% -19%
2008 % 2001 % 2008 - 2001
motorcycle
15-17 147 3% 170 3% -14%
18-24 963 19% 1.136 21% -15%
25-49 3.153 63% 3.168 58% 0%
50-64 520 10% 311 6% 67%
>=65 140 3% 87 2% 60%
(*) Detailled information ( last year available 2008)
EN 85   EN  % Road accidents and fatalities by area
% Road  fatalities by transport mode
% Road  fatalities by age 2008 - % EU  fatalities by tr anspor t mode
carother
bicycle
motorcyclepedestr i an
mopeds
 two whe el s2008 - % EU accidents
rur al urba n
ar ea
mo tor wa y2008 - % EU fatalities
rura l urban
area
mo tor wa y
 2008 - % EU fatalities by age
25-4950-64 18-24
0 - 1465+
0 - 2 4
15-17
 
EN 86   EN  
% evolution of road accidents and fatalities by area
% evolutio n o f fa ta lities by tra nsport mo de
% Road  fatalities b y ageEU  accidents evolution 2001 - 2008-40%
-30%
-20%-10%
0%
ur ban mot or way r ur alS ou r ce :  C A R E  ( E U  r oad  ac ci de n t s dat aba se)EU fatalities  evolution 2001 - 2008
-4 0%
-3 0%-2 0%-1 0%
0%
urban motorwa y rural
S our ce:  C A R E  ( E U  r o ad acc i den t s dat a bas e)
EU fa talities evo lution 2001 - 2008
-60%
-50%-40%
-30%
-20%
-10%
0%
p ede str i an ca r motor cy cl e mope d b us c y cl eag r ic ul tur al
ve h.heavy
g o od veh. l orry
S o u rce: CARE (EU ro ad  ac cid en ts  d ata b ase)
EU fatalities  e volution 2001 - 2008
-60%
-50%
-40%-30%
-20%
-10%
0%< 15 15-17 18-24 25-49 50-64 > =65
S o u rce: CARE (EU ro ad  ac cid en ts  d atab ase)