Report from the Commission on progress with the project and its future prospects - CARE: Community database on road traffic accidents - Council Decision of 30 November 1993 (93/704/EC)
Date: 1997-05-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: access to information, data transmission, database, report, transport accident

•ir 

it 

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  26.05.1997 
COM(97) 238  final 

REPORT  FROM  THE  COMMISSION 

on progress with the project 
and its future prospects 

CARE 
Community Database on Road Traffic Accidents 
Council Decision of 30 November 1993 
(93/704/EC) 

Table of Contents 

1. INTRODUCTION 

1.1  Basis for the report 

1.2  The history of CARE 

2.  CURRENT SITUATION 

2.1  The CARE concept 

2.2  Initial phase 

2.3  Data transmission, access and validation 

2.4  Data confidentiality and security 

2.4.1.  Treatment of data explicitly declared as confidential 

2.5  Heterogeneous data definitions and structures 

2.6  Results and conclusions from the first three years 

2.6.1  Database in operation 
2.6.2  Data homogeneity 
2.6.3  Data availability 
2.6.4  Data confidentiality  and security 
2.6.5  Cooperation with the Member States 
2.6.6  Data quality 
2.6.7  Data complexity 
2.6.8  Publications 

_ 

3.  THE FUTURE PROSPECTS 

3.1  Towards an advanced Information System 

3.2  Policy on use and dissemination of information 

3.2.1 Online access to the Reference Database 
3.2.2  Online access to the Dissemination Database 
3.2.3  Access to standard tables within the CARE Information System 
3.2.4  Publications 

3.3  General aspects of the future development of CARE 

4.  CONCLUSION 

3 

3 

3 

4 

4 

5 

7 

8 
9 

9 

10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
11 
11 

12 

12 

13 
14 
14 
14 
16 

16 

17 

2 

1. 

Introduction 

1.1  Basis for the report 
Road traffic accidents in the Member States of the European Union annually claim 
about  45  000  lives  and  leave  more than  1.5  million  people  injured, representing 
estimated  costs  of  150 million  ECU. Since  1984 a  large  number  of  measures  to 
reduce road accidents have been taken at the Community  level. Along with these 
measures, the Council adopted a Decision on 30 November  1993 on the creation 
of a Community database on road accidents (93/704/EC).1 

It was commonly agreed that such a database at the Community level would make 
it possible to identify and quantify road safety problems, evaluate the efficiency of 
road safety measures, determine the relevance of Community actions and facilitate 
the exchange of experience in this field. 

Article 6 of the Council  Decision requires the Commission to prepare a report  on 
progress with the project and its future prospects three years after the  application 
of the Council Decision. 

The history of CARE 

1.2 
Following on from a Council Resolution in 1984 calling for Community action in the 
field  of  road  safety,  the  European  Parliament  requested  the  creation  of  a 
Community  road  accident  database  in  its  resolution  in  1986  on  Community 
measures for the reduction of road accidents.2 

In  1988  an  OECD  expert  group  outlined  the  way  towards  a  "Framework  for 
consistent  traffic  and  [disaggregated]  accident  statistical  databases".  In  1989 the 
Commission announced the creation of an accident database in its communication 
"Road  Safety:  a  priority  for  the  Community".  Two  years  later  this  concept  was 
adopted by a high-level group of experts and was  likewise classified as a priority 
("Gerondeau report", February 1991). 

Based  on  a  feasibility  study  conducted  by  the  Commission  and  in  close 
concertation with the governmental experts' working group, the  High-Level Group 
on Road Safety at its meeting of 15 and 16 October 1992 confirmed for its part the 
necessity of the creation of such a database. 

In  1993,  the  Commission  presented  both  its  White  Paper  on  the  Future 
Development of the Common Transport Policy and its communication for an action 
programme on road safety, where the matter was again considered as a priority. A 
corresponding proposal (COM (93) 348 final) was presented to the Council and to 
the European Parliament in July 1993.3 The Council eventually adopted the above 
proposal  on  the  creation  of  a  Community  database  on  road  accidents  on  30 
November 1993. 

' 0 ^0  329, 30.12.1993, p. 63, 
2OJNo  C68,  24.3. 1986, p. 35. 
3 OJ  No C 225, 20. 8. 1993, p. 6. 

2.  Current situation 

The CARE concept 

2.1 
CARE  represents  the  creation  of  a  Community  database  on  road  accidents 
resulting  in death or  injury.  The  major  difference  between  CARE and most  other 
existing  international  databases  is  the  high  level  of  disaggregation,  i.e.  CARE 
comprises  data  on  individual  accidents  as collected  by the  Member  States.  This 
structure allows for  maximum flexibility  and potential with  regard to analysing the 
information contained in the system and opens up a whole set of new possibilities 
in the field of accident analysis. 

Instead  of  entering  into  a  lengthy  process  of  defining  and  adopting  a  new 
standardized  structure for  a Europe-wide accident  database and recognising that 
this would require considerable changes for the national administrations  (such as 
the harmonization of accident reports, definitions and collection methodologies) the 
Council  decided  -  on  the  basis  of  the  proposal  from  the  Commission  -  that  the 
national  data  sets  should  be  integrated  into the  CARE  database  in their original 
national structure and definitions,  with confidential  data blanked out, and  that  a 
framework should be designed that would make the national data sets accessible 
at the Community level (see figure 1 ). 

CARE 

Pilot Phase  1.4.1994 -1.4.1997 

RcferenGeBatabasc 

National Data 
Providers 

Figure 1: CARE - The current situation 

Initial phase 

2.2 
The  initial  phase  of  CARE  formally  commenced  on  1  April  1994.  For  this  to 
happen,  the  Member  States were  requested  to  communicate  their  national  data 
files  for  the  years  1991  and  1992  to  the  Statistical  Office  of  the  European 
Communities  (SOEC)  before  31  March  1994.  Table  1  shows  the  transmission 
dates of the annual national files at the time this report was drafted. 

All  Member  States  are  now  sending  their  relevant  files  on  a  regular  basis.  The 
statistics for  1991 to 1995 of Austria, Finland and Sweden have also already been 
included in the CARE database. 

Table 1: Data transmitted by the Member States 

2.QU.94 

3.QU.94 

4.QU.94  LQu.95 

A 
B 
D 
DK 
E 
F 
FIN 
GR 
1 
IRL 
L 
NL 
P 
S 
UK(GB) 
UK(NI*) 

91 

92/93 

91/92 

91/92 
91 

91 

91 

91 
91 

91/92 
91/92 

92 

92 

91/92 
93 

92/93 

92/93 
91-93 
93 

93 
92 

93 

Transmission Date 
3.QU.95 

4.QU.95 

2.Qu.95 

1.QU.96 

3.QU.96 

2.QU.96 
92-95 
94 

4.Qu.96 
91 
95 

93 

94 

94 

93/94 
94 

94 

92-93 

94 
93 

93 

94 

91-94 
95 

94 

95 
95 

94 

95 

91-94 

94 

94 

95 

95 
94 

91 

95 
95 

95 

*): Due to technical reasons Great Britain and Northern Ireland are listed separately in the statistics 

Table  2  shows  the  current  status  within  CARE  of  the  data  transmitted  by  the 
Member States at the time this report was drafted: 

Table 2: Status of data within CARE 

A 
B 
D 
DK 
E 
F 
FIN 
GR 
1 
IRL 
L 
NL 
P 
S 
UK(GB) 
UK(NI*) 

1991 
R 
RC 
r 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 

1992 
RC 
RC 
r 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
Re 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 

1993 
RC 
RC 
r 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
Re 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 

| 

1994 
RC 
RC 
r 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
Rx 
RC 
RC 
Re 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 

1995 
RC 
R 

RC 
RC 
RC 
RC 

RC 

RC 
Rx 
RC 
RC 
RC 

Legend :  R =  Data received 

r  =  Data sent in accordance to Regulation 1588/90 on the transmission of confidential data 
C =  Data loaded into CARE 
c  =  Data partially loaded into CARE (pending definitive data) 
x  =  Data not readable 

*): Due to technical reasons Great Britain and Northern Ireland are listed separately in the statistics 

2.3  Data transmission, access and validation 
The Member States actively took part in the establishment of CARE, depending on 
their  available  resources. The integration of the  new  Member  States  into  CARE 
went smoothly, due to their active participation. 

The transmission of the Member States'  accident data is currently  carried out via 
electronic media (tape or diskette) on an annual  basis, with a delay of not longer 
than nine months after the end of the corresponding year. There is information on 
about 1.2 million road accidents to be annually loaded into the CARE database. 

The  Member  States are responsible for the  quality of the  national  road  accident 
data  they  provide  and are requested  to  validate the results  of  the statistical 
treatment of their data after  its inclusion  into the  CARE database. To access the 
respective  national  data  within  CARE  a  data  Sink  and dedicated  software  is 
required.  The Member  States  each  appoint  a  single  institution  and notify the 
Commission  of its  identity.  Currently,  the national  statistical  offices  have  been 
asked by the Member States to fill this role, the rationale behind this being that the 
data provider should also be the one to validate the data treatment within CARE, 
The process of validation (i.e. the confirmation that the information produced by the 
CARE database is identical to the results of respective queries at the national level 
with national systems) is considered essential for the reliability of CARE. 

After the validation of its "own" data in the CARE system by the appointed national 
body, the Member State grants access to its data to all the other appointed national 
bodies on a reciprocity basis. 

Table 3 shows the access levels the different  Member States (MS) have reached 
within the CARE project, at the time this report was drafted: 

Table 3: Access levels of the Member States 

A 

B 

D 

DK 

E 

F 

FIN 

GR 

i 

IRL 

L 

NL 

p 

D 
D 

D 
D 

D 
D 
D 

•*> 

D 
D 
D 
D 
D 

Data Sent 

Data loaded into CARE 

On-Line Connection 

D 
• 

Training 

Testing 

Validation by MS 

Access granted to other 
MS 
Reciprocal access 
installed 

D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 

D 

D 
D 
• 
D 
D 
D 
• 
D 

D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
• 
D 

D 
D 
a 

D 
D 
• 
a 
D 
D 
• 
D 

D 
D 
D 
D 
• 
D 
D 
D 

D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
• 

s 

• 
• 

UK 
(GB) 

UK 
(NI) 

• 
D 
D 
D 
D 
D 
• 
D 

• 
• 
D 
D 
D 
D 
• 
D 

*) = in accordance with Regulation 1588/90 on the transmission of confidential data 

At the time of writing this report, ten Member States have so far been connected to 
the CARE system, mainly for the purpose of data validation, as shown in table 4. 
The  new Member  States are not yet listed, since they have  been  asked to send 
their data only in recent months and have not yet established a connection to the 
CARE database. 

Table 4: 

Access to CARE by the Member States for purposes of validation 
(observation period: 7 February 1995 to 12 December 1996) 

No of 
connections 
abs 
% 
46 
530 
18 
210 
10 
114 
8 
89 
8 
91 
3 
30 
3 
37 
2 
25 
-
6 
1 
14 
-
8 
-
0 
-
0 
100% 
1154 
2203 

Connection time 

CPU time 

h 
51 
41 
30 
15 
10 
8 
6 
4 
2 

min 
36 
02 
16 
20 
21 
51 
39 
33 
23 
19 
22 

171 
392 

48 
30 

sec 
54 
38 
44 
6 
58 
30 
24 
28 
54 
36 
14 

26 
06 

h 
2 
5 

min 
28 
46 
38 
19 
3 
10 
4 
3 
1 

% 
30 
24 
18 
9 
6 
5 
4 
3 
1 
-
-

100% 

9 
119 

37 
39 

% 
26 
61 
6 
3 
-
2 
-
-
-
-
-

100% 

sec 
32 
15 
38 
53 
23 
22 
26 
47 
50 
11 
2 

19 
37 

E 
UK (GB) 
NL 
P 
F 
IRL 
B 
DK 
UK (NI) 
I 
L 
GR 
D 
Sum: 
Commission 

2.4  Data confidentiality and security 
The question of confidentiality boils down to whether it is possible for a user of the 
system  to  identify  persons  involved  in an  individual  accident.  Whereas  the  data 
loaded  into  the  system  is  disaggregated  down  to  individual  accidents  for  each 
country, any report produced by the system for an end-user  is an aggregation of 
some sort, e.g. all accidents by month and age group of casualties. As the resulting 
report  contains  tens,  hundreds  or  thousands  of  casualties,  it  is  therefore  not 
possible to identify an individual from such a report. 

In  addition, the  Member  States,  in  consultation  with  the  Commission,  blank  out 
confidential data fields, i.e. any information which may readily identify an individual 
(such as vehicle number plate, name or address of person) before the data is sent 
to the Commission.  If necessary,  such sensitive data can still be excluded by the 
CARE database administrator. 

Nobody, other than the database administrator,  can access original accident data 
records  as transmitted  by the  Member  States.  Following  protected  processing of 
the data and under certain conditions, authorized users get access to a so-called 
reference database, which is a CARE subset containing data as agreed upon with 
the representatives of the Member States: therefore, no confidential  information is 
available to users of the CARE system. 

A CARE user must have a valid user identification and a password. State-of-the-art 
encryption techniques have been applied to make unauthorized access impossible 
in  practice.  The  procedure  of  asking  for  data  is  carried  out  in  a  menu-driven 
environment which does not allow a user to enter any commands other than those 
allowed by and applying to the CARE system. 

Discussions with specialists from the Member  States have shown that the above 
measures guarantee the confidentiality, security and integrity of the data held in the 
CARE database. 

8 

2.4.1.  Treatment of data explicitly declared as confidential 
As  seen  in table  3,  Germany  insisted  upon the  application  of  the  procedure  laid 
down in the  Council  Regulation  1588/90 on the transmission of confidential data. 
At  present,  discussions  are  under  way  with  the  German  authorities  in  order  to 
prepare for rapid integration of the German data into the CARE system. 

2.5  Heterogeneous data definitions and structures 
The data resulting from accident reports contains detailed information on the acci 
dent  location, the (injured)  persons  and the vehicle(s)  involved as well  as  a vast 
amount  of  additional  information,  potentially  ranging  from  details  about  the  pre-
crash  sequence  or  the  damage  to  the  vehicles  to  the  type  of  dangerous  load 
carried. The details provided as well as the definitions and the number of variables 
all  vary  considerably  between the  Member  States  -  a  problem  that  was  already 
identified at the project feasibility stage. 

It has been mentioned earlier that the treatment of data with such heterogeneous 
definitions  and  structures  is  a  fundamental  element  of  the  correct  operation  of 
CARE. Therefore, a number of organisational  measures at the system level have 
been  made  to  allow  for  compatibility  between  national  accident  data  without 
requiring any additional data treatment or adaptation by the Member States. 

Data is made compatible in three ways: 

• 

The  translation  of  the  original  variable  definitions  into  a  common  language, 
namely  English,  makes  such  variables  instantly  comparable,  like  "month  = 
January", "day = Sunday" etc. 

For some variables  compatibility  is achieved through the  application  of  simple 
mathematical  rules: the age of a driver will either  result from the age field,  like 
"age of driver  = 31",  or from the field containing the driver's  date  of  birth,  like 
"date of birth = 1965.10.05". 

• 

The "harmonization" of other variables, such as the different national values for 
"light  conditions"  or  "road  conditions"  is  a  far  more  complex  problem.  The 
feasibility  of  "harmonizing"  heterogeneous  data  has  been  demonstrated  by  a 
consortium of partners from six different Member States, the project being called 
CARE PLUS. The major objective was to set up, by the end of 1996, structural 
transformation  rules  for  important  variables,  with  their  number  initially  being 
limited to 28.  in addition,  a second  objective  is to  compile  a dictionary  of  the 
definitions of variables and parameters used in the  15 Member States' national 
files. 

The  Commission's  intention  is  not to  propose  changes  to  the  definitions  of  the 
Member  States'  databases  but  rather  to  provide  a  framework  of  transformation 
rules  to  be  implemented  in  the  CARE  database  with  a  view  to  increasing  data 
compatibility  and thus enhancing the functioning of the system. Nonetheless,  the 
outcome of the above efforts will be a set of common variables which could serve 
as  a  reference  for  future  adaptions  at  the  national  level  if  a  Member  State  so 
wishes. 

2.6  Results and conclusions from the first three years 

2.6.1  Database in operation 
The  pilot  phase  of  CARE  started  on  1  April  1994.  Within  a  relatively  short 
timescale, considering the task's complexity, the basic principles have been agreed 
upon  and  the  technical  problems  concerning  the  operation  of  such  a  complex 
system consisting of many different databases have been solved. 

2.6.2  Data homogeneity 
The process of "harmonization", i.e. the setting up of transformation rules between 
the different Member States' databases, based on the methodology as provided by 
the CARE PLUS group, is advancing in a promising way. 

2.6.3  Data availability 
Today for the first time valuable reports  have been made feasible through CARE 
that no other database could provide. As an example, Annex II features - amongst 
others - a comparison of the involvement of different age groups in road accidents 
at the Community  level - an analysis made possible only through the computation 
of national disaggregated accident data. 

2.6.4  Data confidentiality and security 
A high-level standard of data confidentiality and security has been an integral part 
of the  system  design from the very  beginning. Although  CARE contains  national 
data  at  a  very  detailed  level,  it  is  impossible  for  any  user  to  identify  individual 
persons through the CARE database. 

2.6.5  Cooperation with the Member States 
Close cooperation with the CARE  Governmental  Experts  Group plays  a valuable 
part  in the  process  of  developing  CARE, the  role  of  the  national  data  providers 
being essential to its current and future operation as regards the validation of data, 
i.e. confirmation that information produced by the CARE system accurately reflects 
the  figures  retrieved  from  national  databases  and  as  regards  the  permission  to 
open the relevant annual data to other users on a reciprocity basis. 

2.6.6  Data quality 

The contents  of CARE directly  reflect the national databases'  contents. The 
quality  of  any  analysis  is  thus  directly  dependent  on  the  quality  of  the 
underlying  national  accident  data,  which  itself  is  highly  dependent  on  the 
national  data  collection  methodology. 
It  is  known  that  the  extent  of 
underreporting  of accidents  not only varies between the Member  States but 
also depends on accident severity. While fatal accidents are widely covered, 
the same is not true for injury-only accidents. Moreover,  a wide  interpretation 
of  certain  variables  occurs,  for  example  "accident  severity  =  unknown". 
Accident  causes, where reported, are rather  subjective  and -  if  used at all -
must be processed with utmost care. Furthermore, the national data shows a 
certain degree of incompleteness, mainly depending on the accident severity. 

10 

2.6.7  Data complexity 

A user-friendly system has been developed which makes the production of flexible 
aggregated  reports  based  on disaggregated  accident  data  a  straightforward  task. 
However,  the  possibility of false  interpretations of what the  system  provides  does 
exist,  especially  if  users  are  not  experts  in  processing  road  safety  databases. 
Users of the CARE database  should thus have a certain knowledge of the system 
architecture as well as of the heterogenous data  structures  CARE  is built upon. A 
thorough  training  for  the  statistical  experts  dealing  with  the  CARE  database  is 
necessary to ensure that credible results are obtained from CARE. 

2.6.8  Publications 

In agreement  with the  Member  States, which  supply  the  data,  the  Commission 
and the Member  States have agreed not to circulate the statistics  resulting from 
CARE during the pilot phase of the project. 

11 

3.  The future prospects 

Towards an advanced Information System 

3.1 
The process of improving the "homogenization" of accident data within the CARE 
system should be further continued, as outlined in chapter 2.5. The Member States' 
support and cooperation will play a vital part in this process which - as a first step -
will lead to a high degree of compatibility of the underlying accident data. 

In this  respect the  inherent incomparability of  national  accident  data  still  remains 
the  main  source  of  possible  misinterpretation  when  performing  comparative 
analyses at the international level and thus must be considered as a priority to be 
tackled in the development of any future system. 

In  this  context,  additional  information  should  be  made  available  to  supplement 
CARE  in  order  to  enable  sound  comparisons  to  be  made  on  the  basis  of 
Community  accident  data  and  thereby  improve  the  potential  for  road  accident 
analysis at the Community level. Additional information could include: 

•  exposure data, such as 

vehicle - kms 
vehicle fleet 
passenger - kms 
population 
road network characteristics etc. 

•  results of in-depth studies on accident and injury causation 
•  road  safety  measures:  relevant  national  legislation,  level  of  enforcement, 

results of efficiency studies on different measures and actions,... 

•  etc. 

Such additional information would finally lead to an Information System (see figure 
2), comprising an information pool derived from various data sources which would 
be  treated  as  additional files and  should  be  linked  to  the  accident  database, 
forming the basis for system. In addition, a comprehensive glossary would be made 
available, providing definitions of national variables, transformation rules and other 
textual information that plays an essential role in comparative research. 

The development  of such a Road Safety  Information  System would enable  great 
improvements to be made  in areas such as accident  data quality and  availability. 
Problems  such  as  underreporting  cannot  be  settled  in  the  short  term,  but  by 
assessing  the  extent  of  the  problem  and  incorporating  this  dimension  in  CARE 
such  issues  can  analytically  and  systematically  be  taken  into  account  in  the 
system. The same applies to the availability and the differing assessment methods 
for exposure data and other information. 

12 

The CARE Road  Safety 
Information  System 

National Data 
Providers 
& 
«v 
Authorized 
( Authorized 
Users 
Users 

\ 
* 

Expert 
Users 

All 
Users 

T 

Figure 2: The CARE Road Safety Information System 

Policy on use and dissemination of information 

3.2 
The  high  level  of data confidentiality  and security  as  implemented  in the  current 
system,  i.e.  the  inaccessability  of  individual  data  together  with the  application  of 
elaborate access procedures, will remain central to the CARE concept. 

The  procedures  for  granting  access  to  CARE  and  the  ways  of  disseminating 
information need to be considered very thoroughly: forming queries within CARE is 
straightforward,  but  asking the right questions  is  a  complex  task  and  inherently 
poses  a  potential  for  misinterpretation:  Well-trained  personnel  with a  thorough 
knowledge of  national data  structures and definitions will  certainly  be required to 
work at the most detailed level of CARE data. 

13 

The accessibility criteria of the future Road Safety  Information System as well as 
the type and content of information presented will be a major factor determining the 
degree  of  its  use.  A  self-contained  system  available  to  the  Member  States' 
administrative departments only would limit its potential for the road safety work of 
the  Community,  whereas  a well-designed  system  presenting  useful  and  varying 
degrees  of  information  to  a  larger  group  of  users  -  with  different  levels  of 
authorization  - would  create  a  new basis for  the  improvement  of  road  safety  on 
European roads. 

the  system,  and  having 

Whatever 
recitals  of  Council 
Decision 93/704/EC of 30 November 1993 data relating to identifiable persons will 
be treated in accordance with the data protection legislation in force. 

regard 

the 

to 

Information circulation policy should aim to reach the greatest possible number of 
users  under  the  best  possible  conditions,  but  without  prejudice  to  the  existing 
financing sources of national data suppliers. 

3.2.1  Online access to the Reference Database 
Currently, the Member States' data providers are the only bodies entitled to access 
the  CARE  Reference  Database,  containing  accident  data  at  the  most  detailed 
level.  However,  their potential  interest  in  the  use  of  international  data  may  be 
limited. Therefore, consideration should be given to extending access, e.g. to one 
institution per Member State concerned with road safety, to make the best use of 
the CARE Reference Database. The national data provider should play a valuable 
part  in the process for the validation of the national data within CARE, unless the 
Member  State  chose  to  delegate  this  task  to  the  additional  institution  it  has 
appointed.  Under  certain  conditions  accident  reports  could  then  be  provided  to 
other users by the authorized institutions. 

3.2.2  Online access to the Dissemination Database 
A subset of the CARE Reference Database, comprising disaggregated data with a 
high degree of comparability,  as agreed  upon with the  Member  States, could be 
created  in  order  to  provide  wider  access  to  the  road  safety  community.  An 
appropriate  knowledge  will  still  be  required  for  the  correct  utilization  of  this  so-
called  Dissemination  Database,  but  thorough  training  in  data  definitions  and 
structures will  not  be necessary. Thus this  part of the  CARE  Information  System 
will serve as a flexible  interface to a range of expert  users whose demands vary 
with the current research tasks and whose needs are not sufficiently catered for by 
international statistics reports today. 

As  a  first  step,  the  Dissemination  Database  could  contain  information  on  fatal 
accidents only, which simultaneously would ensure both a high quality and a high 
rate  of  availability  of  the  underlying  data.  In addition, the  amount  of  data  to  be 
handled  would  be  just  a  fraction  of  the  original  Community  accident  data  as 
represented  in  the  reference  database. 
In  this  way  response  times  would  be 
reduced, an advantage which would be much appreciated by users. 

3.2.3  Access to standard tables within the CARE Information System 
A variety of periodically updated standard tables - as agreed upon with the Member 
States - could be set up and made accessible on-line. An interactive user interface 

14 

the  user 

for 
would  guide 
straightforward results. Large access to this part of the system would be granted to 
all users of the CARE Information System. 

information  available 

to  provide 

through 

the 

15 

3.2.4  Publications 
Periodical  publications  of  standard  tables  will  serve  as  an  essential  means  of 
providing efficient  and widespread use of CARE, in the classical form of printouts, 
electronic  media  like  Internet  and  CD-ROMs  or  the  usual  channels  used  by 
EUROSTAT. Such standard aggregated statistics with contents previously agreed 
upon with the Member States will aim to meet the demands of the majority  of the 
users whilst maintaining certain quality criteria. Such tables could also be provided 
to  other  organisations  such  as  the  United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for 
Europe (UNECE) or the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) in 
the framework of the cooperation agreement with these international organisations. 

3.3  General aspects of the future development of CARE 
The variety of services of the future CARE Information System will provide a new 
approach  to  Community  accident  data  analysis,  tailor-made  for  the  different 
demands of different user groups, ranging from scientific research tasks in the road 
safety area to general reports. 

Moreover, the CARE Information System will not only be a useful tool for accident 
analysis. It will also facilitate the exchange of information in the area of road safety 
and therefore serve as a platform for advisory  bodies, institutions  and authorities 
as well as industrial partners and associations concerned with road safety, at local, 
regional,  national  or  Community  level. The  Community  Transport  Policy will  also 
benefit from the tools featured in the CARE Information System. 

Since  Council  Decision  93/704/EC  is  part  of  the  provisions  included  in  the 
Agreement  on  the  European  Economic  Area,  the  incorporation  of  the  statistical 
files for Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will eventually need to be envisaged, as 
it was included in the EEA Agreement by Decision 7/94 of the Joint Committee of 
21 March 1994. 

16 

4.  Conclusion 

Based  on  the  experience  gathered  during  the  implementation  of  the  Council 
Decision,  i.e. the setting up of the CARE database,  it can be concluded  that  the 
results of the pilot phase have been positive, as outlined in chapter 2. 

The  future  prospects  of  the  CARE  database,  as  outlined  in  chapter  3,  and,  in 
particular,  its evolution  into a Road Safety  Information  System are very  promising 
for the road safety community  and reflect the concerns and objectives  underlying 
the Council Decision of 30 November 1993. 

Cooperation with the Member States, especially through the CARE Governmental 
Expert  Group,  should  be continued  and  reinforced, as  it plays  a vital  part  in the 
management of the Community database and the quality of the data therein as well 
as in the development of a policy as regards user access and dissemination of the 
data derived from CARE. 

The Commission will periodically  report on the progress of the CARE  Information 
System to the High Level Group of representatives of the Member States on road 
safety. 

17 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(97) 238 final 

DOCUMENTS 

07  05 

EN 

m 

M 

Catalogue number  :  CB-CO-97-230-EN-C 

ISBN 92-78-19855-2 

Office  for Officiai  Publications of the European Communities 

L-2985 Luxembourg 

n