COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Towards a European road safety area: policy orientations on road safety 2011-2020
Date: 2010-07-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: accident prevention, cross-border cooperation, data collection, land transport, motor vehicle, pedestrian, road safety, roadworthiness tests, safety standard, transport policy

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 20.7.2010 
COM(2010) 389 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards a European road safety area: policy orientations on road safety 2011-2020 

{SEC(2010) 903} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards a European road safety area: policy orientations on road safety 2011-2020 

INTRODUCTION 

Road safety is a major societal issue. In 2009, more than 35,000 people died on the roads of 
the  European  Union,  i.e.  the  equivalent  of  a  medium  town,  and  no  fewer  than  1,500,000 
persons  were  injured.  The  cost  for  society  is  huge,  representing  approximately  130  billion 
Euro in 20091. 

In  its  Communication  "Europe  2020  –  A  strategy  for  smart,  sustainable  and  inclusive 
growth"2,  the  Commission  has  underlined  the  importance  for  Europe  of  social  cohesion,  a 
greener  economy,  education  and  innovation.  These  objectives  should  be  reflected  in  the 
various  aspects  of  European  transport  policy  which  should  aim  at  ensuring  sustainable 
mobility  for  all  citizens,  "decarbonising"  transport  and  make  full  use  of  technological 
progress. Road safety will play an important role in the upcoming White Paper on transport 
policy 2010 – 2020, as lowering the number of road users' casualties is key to improving the 
overall  performance  of  the  transport  system  and  to  meet  citizens'  and  companies'  needs  and 
expectations. 

A coherent holistic and integrated approach is therefore needed, taking into account synergies 
with other policy goals. Road safety policies at local, national, European or international level 
should integrate relevant objectives of other public policies and vice versa. 

The  proposed  policy  orientations  takes  fully  account  of  the  results  obtained  during  the  3rd 
road safety action programme 2001-2010, showing that in spite of important progress made 
on road safety, efforts needed to be continued and further strengthened. 

The European road safety policy orientations up to 2020 aims to provide a general governance 
framework and challenging objectives which should guide national or local strategies. In line 
with  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  actions  described  should  be  implemented  at  the  most 
appropriate level and through the most appropriate means. 

In  the  framework  of  these  policy  orientations,  the  Commission  considers  that  the  three 
following actions should be undertaken as a priority: 

–  the establishment of a structured and coherent cooperation framework which draws on best 
practices across the Member States, as a necessary condition to implement in an effective 
manner the road safety policy orientations 2011-2020, 

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2 

Based on the value of a statistical life calculated by the HEATCO study (6th Framework Programme for 
Research and Technological Development). 
COM(2010) 2020. 

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–  a  strategy  for  injuries  and  first  aid  to  address  the  urgent  and  growing  need  to  reduce  the 

number of road injuries, 

–  the  improvement  of  the  safety  of  vulnerable  road  users,  in  particular  motorcyclists  for 

whom accidents statistics are particularly worrying. 

2. 

EX-POST  EVALUATION  OF  THE  THIRD  EUROPEAN  ROAD  SAFETY  ACTION 
PROGRAMME 

On 2 June 2003, the Commission adopted its 3rd European action programme for road safety 
(RSAP), including an ambitious target to halve the number of road deaths by 2010 as well as 
62  proposals  for  concrete  actions  in  the  field  of  vehicle  safety,  safety  of  infrastructure  and 
users' safety. An ex-post evaluation has been carried out in order to analyse the  impact, the 
level  of  implementation  and  the  effectiveness  of  the  RSAP  (document  available  on  the 
website: http://ec.europa.eu/roadsafety). Although the initial target is not likely to be met by 
the end of 2010, the RSAP has been a strong catalyst  of efforts made  by Member  States to 
improve road safety. 

75.400

80000

70000

60000

50000

40000

30000

20000

Evolution 1990 - 2010 
EU fatalities

59.400

54.000

2010 objectiv e 

EU fatalities

43.000

34500

27.000

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

3. 

PRINCIPLES AND TARGET 

3.1. 

Principles 

Striving for the highest road safety standards throughout Europe 

Road  safety  policy  has  to  put  citizens  at  the  heart  of  its  action:  it  has  to  encourage  them  to 
take primary responsibility for their safety and the safety of others. The road safety policy of 
the EU aims at raising the level of road safety, ensuring safe and clean mobility for citizens 
everywhere  in  Europe.  It  should  foster  equity  among  road  users  through  focused  efforts  to 
improve the safety of more vulnerable road users. 

An integrated approach to road safety 

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The future road safety policy should be taken into account in  other policy fields of the EU, 
and  it  should  take  the  objectives  of  these  other  policies  into  account.  Road  safety  has  close 
links  with  policies  on  energy,  environment,  employment,  education,  youth,  public  health, 
research,  innovation  and  technology,  justice,  insurance3,  trade  and  foreign  affairs,  among 
others. 

Subsidiarity, proportionality and shared responsibility 

The question of governance is essential: in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and 
proportionality,  which  in  road  safety  are  embodied  in  the  concept  of  shared  responsibility, 
commitment and concrete actions, as appropriate, will be required at the level of the European 
authorities, the Member States, regional and local bodies and the actors in civil society, each 
in  their  areas  of  responsibility.  The  European  Road  Safety  Charter  is  a  good  example  of 
commitments taken by the relevant actors.  

3.2. 

Target 

In  view  of  achieving  the  objective  of  creating  a  common  road  safety  area,  the  Commission 
proposes  to  continue  with  the  target  of  halving  the  overall  number  of  road  deaths  in  the 
European Union by 2020 starting from 20104. Such a common target represents a significant 
increase  of  the  level  of  ambition  compared  to  the  unmet  target  of  the  current  RSAP, 
considering the progress already achieved by several Member States during the past decade, 
which will give a clear signal of Europe's commitment towards road safety. 

Member States are encouraged to contribute, through their national road safety strategy, to the 
achievement of the common objective, taking into account their specific starting points, needs 
and circumstances. They should concentrate their efforts on areas where their performance is 
the  lowest,  using  as  an  indicator  the  results  obtained  by  the  best  performers  in  such  areas. 
Specific  national  objectives  could  thus  be  established,  for  example  by  laying  down  the 
objective  of  not  exceeding  a  given  number  of  road  deaths  per  million  inhabitants.  This 
approach  should  reduce  the  disparities  between  Member  States  and  provide  citizens  with  a 
more uniform level of road safety within the EU. 

As  regards  the  establishment  of  a  target  for  reducing  road  traffic  severe  injuries,  which  has 
been  proposed  during  the  public  consultation5,  the  Commission  considers  it  to  be  an 
interesting  suggestion.  At  this  stage  a  European  target  is  not  possible,  due  to  the  lack  of  a 
common definition of severe and minor injuries. As soon as sufficient progress has been made 
in this area, the Commission will propose to add a common "injuries reduction target" to the 
European road safety policy orientations up to 2020. 

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The insurance sector can contribute to road safety through training actions as well as insurance policies. 
For  instance,  Pay-As-You-Drive  (PAYD)  schemes  where  the  premium  varies  with  the  amount  of 
kilometres  driven  could  lead  to  substantial  savings  on  accident  costs  as  well  as  a  reduction  in  CO2 
emissions from cars.  
The  results  for  2010  not  being  known  yet,  this  reference  will  be  based  on  projections  of  the  figures 
available in 2009. 
A public consultation for the preparation of the next road safety policy orientations took place between 
July and December 2009. It comprised a series of thematic workshops, an internet consultation and a 
stakeholder  conference.  Approximately  550  replies  were  received  during  through  Internet  or  written 
contributions. 

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4. 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 

The  road  user  is  the  first  link  in  the  road  safety  chain.  Whatever  the  technical  measures  in 
place,  the  effectiveness  of  a  road  safety  policy  depends  ultimately  on  the  users’  behaviour. 
For this reason, education, training and enforcement are essential. However, the road safety 
system also has to take into account human error and inappropriate behaviour and correct it as 
much  as  possible  —  zero  risk  does  not  exist.  All  components,  in  particular  vehicles  and 
infrastructure, should therefore be 'forgiving', so as to prevent and limit the consequences of 
these failures for the users, in particular the most vulnerable users. 

Seven  objectives  have  been  identified  for  the  next  decade.  For  each  of  these  objectives, 
actions  at  EU  and  national  level  will  be  proposed.  The  Commission  will  ensure  continuity 
with the 3rd RSAP, notably where the ex-post evaluation identified actions to be continued. 

Objective n°1: Improve education and training of road users 

During the 3rd RSAP, important legislation has been put in place as regards driving licences 
and training of professional drivers. The impact of such recent measures will be measured in 
the  years  to  come.  However,  the  need  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  licensing  and  training 
system,  with  a  special  focus  on  young  novice  drivers,  was  stressed  during  the  experts'  and 
public consultation. 

The  current  approach  as  regards  driver  training  remains  indeed  too  fragmented  and 
specialised. The Commission proposes to promote a wider approach and view education and 
training as an overall process, a lifelong ‘educational continuum’. Interactive methods and the 
acquisition  of  autonomy  should  be  encouraged,  while  taking  duly  into  account  the  need  to 
keep the cost of the licence at a reasonable level. 

•  Pre-test learning 

The  objective  is  to  encourage  practice  before  the  test  under  maximum  conditions  of  safety. 
The  Commission  will  reflect  on  several  options,  in  particular  the  inclusion  of  accompanied 
driving  in  the  process  leading  to  the  issuing  of  the  licence.  The  introduction  of  harmonised 
minimum  requirements  will  be  examined  for  persons  involved  in  learning:  such  as 
accompanying persons and instructors.  

•  The driving licence test 

The driving licence test should not be restricted to checking the candidate's knowledge of the 
highway code or his ability to carry out manoeuvres. The Commission will consider how to 
also include broader driving skills, or even an evaluation of values and behaviour related to 
road safety (awareness of the risks) and defensive, energy-efficient driving (reinforcement of 
the key elements of eco-driving within the curricula of the theoretical and practical tests). 

•  Post-licence training 

Post-licence  continuous  training  for  non-professional  drivers  deserves  to  be  examined,  in 
particular  since,  with  the  European  population  ageing,  the  question  of  maintaining  older 
people’s aptitude for driving will become increasingly relevant. Possible actions in this area 
will have to take into account persons with disabilities and elderly people’s right to mobility 
and the adoption of alternative solutions. 

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Action: 

The  Commission  will  work,  in  cooperation  with  Member  States  as  appropriate,  on  the 
development of a common educational and training road safety strategy including notably 
the  integration  of  apprenticeship  in  the  ‘pre-licensing’  process  as  well  as  common 
minimum requirements for driving instructors. 

Objective n°2: Increase enforcement of road rules 

According  to  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  the  3rd  RSAP,  enforcement  remains  a  key  factor  in 
creating  the  conditions  for  a  considerable  reduction  in  the  number  of  deaths  and  injuries, 
especially  when  it  is  intensively  applied  and  widely  publicised.  Public  consultation  also 
confirmed  that  enforcement  should  be  strongly  present  in  the  new  road  safety  policy 
orientations.  The  full  potential  of  a  European  enforcement  strategy  was  indeed  not  reached 
during the previous programme, in particular with the lack of progress on the Commission's 
proposal concerning cross-border enforcement.  

Such a strategy should be built on the following axes: 

•  Cross-border exchange of information in the field of road safety 

The work initiated in 2008 on the proposal for a Directive facilitating enforcement in the field 
of road safety should continue. With the aim to facilitate the exchange of information on road 
safety offences, the proposed text6 is a step towards a more equal treatment of offenders. 

•  Enforcement campaigns 

Increased  coordination  and  sharing  of  best  practices  help  make  enforcement  and  controls 
significantly more efficient. The principle of the targeted control campaigns already organised 
in and between several Member States should be encouraged and generalised. In addition, the 
experience  shows  that  the  most  effective  results  are  obtained  by  combining  control  policy 
with  users’  information.  The  Commission  will  therefore  continue  to  support  information 
actions and awareness-raising, in particular for young people. 

•  Vehicle technology to assist enforcement 

Technological  developments,  such  as  in-vehicle  systems  providing  real-time  information  on 
prevailing  speed  limits  could  contribute  to  improve  speed  enforcement.  Since  light 
commercial vehicles are becoming increasingly numerous on the roads, which also increase 
the  risk  that  they  get  involved  in  accidents,  the  fitting  of  speed  limiters  on  such  vehicles 
should  also  be  examined  along  the  lines  already  identified  by  the  Commission7,  taking  into 
account  also  the  environmental  and  climate  co-benefits.  With  respect  to  drink-driving, 
penalties should be accompanied by preventive measures. Thus the Commission will examine 
to  what  extent  measures  are  appropriate  for  making  the  installation  of  alcohol  interlock 
devices in vehicles compulsory, for example with respect to professional transport (e.g. school 
buses). 

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Taking into account the relevant EU legislation on protection of personal data. 
COM(2009) 593 final. 

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•  National enforcement objectives 

The effectiveness of road safety policies is largely dependent on the intensity of controls on 
compliance  with  safety  requirements.  The  Commission  encourages  setting  national  control 
objectives, to be integrated into ‘national enforcement plans’8. 

Actions: 

•  The Commission will work together with the European Parliament and the Council on 
the establishment of a cross-border exchange of information in the field of road safety. 

•  The  Commission  will  work  towards  developing  a  common  road  safety  enforcement 

strategy, including: 

1. 

The possibility of introducing speed limiters in light commercial vehicles and 
of  making  use  of  alcohol  interlock  devices  obligatory  in  certain  specific 
cases. 

2. 

The establishment of national implementation plans. 

Objective n°3: Safer road infrastructure  

The highest number of fatalities occurs on rural and urban roads (56% and 44% respectively 
in  2008,  compared  to  6%  on  motorways).  Therefore,  ways  should  be  found  for  gradually 
extending the relevant principles of safe management of infrastructure to the secondary road 
network of the Member States, taking into account the principle of subsidiarity. 

The  Commission  will  ensure  that  requests  for  funding  from  the  EU  funds  related  to  road 
infrastructure  within  Member  States  incorporate  safety  requirements.  An  extension  of  this 
principle to external aid will be explored. 

Actions: 

The Commission will: 

1. 

2. 

Ensure that European funds will only be granted to infrastructure compliant 
with the road safety and tunnel safety Directives. 

Promote  the  application  of  the  relevant  principles  on  infrastructure  safety 
management to secondary roads of Member States, in particular through the 
exchange of best practices. 

Objective n° 4: Safer vehicles 

The  period  covered  by  the  3rd  RSAP  has  seen  considerable  progress  in  vehicle  safety. 
Although the safety of cars has been boosted, thanks partly to the wide use of passive safety 
devices  such  as  seatbelts  and  airbags  and  the  implementation  of  electronic  safety  systems, 

8 

See Commission Recommendation 2004/345/EC on enforcement in the field of road safety (OJ L 111, 
17.4.2004, p. 75). 

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other  vehicles,  in  particular  motorcycles,  have  not  been  subject  to  the  same  attention. 
Moreover,  new  safety  problems  will  need  to  be  addressed  in  the  years  to  come  to  take  into 
account the increasing part of vehicles using an alternative power train.  

•  Vehicles of today 

Numerous technical standards and requirements on vehicle safety have been adopted in recent 
years or are under preparation9. Their impact will only be fully visible in the decade to come. 

After  being  placed  on  the  market,  vehicles  should  continue  to  meet  safety  standards 
throughout  their  lifetime.  The  Commission  will  evaluate  and  propose,  as  appropriate 
following  an  impact  assessment,  actions  in  the  area  of  harmonisation  and  progressive 
strengthening  of  EU  legislation  on  roadworthiness  tests10  and  on  technical  roadside 
inspections11.  The  ultimate  objective  could  be  to  arrive  at  a  mutual  recognition  of  vehicle 
inspections between Member States. 

Currently  vehicle  data  (type  approval,  registration,  results  of  inspections,  etc.)  exist  in  a 
disparate  form  in  each  Member  State.  The  Commission  will  study  the  setting  up  of  a 
European electronic platform with a view to facilitating the exchange of this information. 

•  Vehicles of tomorrow 

As set out in the Communication of the Commission on "A European strategy on clean and 
energy  efficient  vehicles"12,  the  development  and  deployment  of  alternative  powertrain 
vehicles  constitutes  a  major  priority  for  the  decade  to  come  in  order  to  reduce  the 
environmental impact of road transport. However, some of these vehicles have characteristics 
which make them radically different from traditional vehicles and which may have an impact 
on safety. An integrated and coordinated approach is therefore essential with a view to clearly 
identifying  the impact on all factors  concerned (such as infrastructure  and  vulnerable users) 
and the solutions to be supplied (research, standardisation, etc.). 

A  significant  contribution  to  road  safety  is  also  expected  from  the  deployment  of  so  called 
"co-operative systems", where vehicles exchange data and interact with the infrastructure and 
other  surrounding  vehicles  to  have  drivers  optimally  informed,  reducing  risks  on  accidents 
and making traffic flows run more smoothly overall.  

Actions: 

The Commission will: 

1. 

2. 

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12 

Make proposals to encourage progress on the active and passive safety of vehicles, 
such as motorcycles and electric vehicles. 

Make  proposals  in  view  of  the  progressive  harmonisation  and  strengthening  of 
roadworthiness tests and technical roadside inspections. 

For  instance,  the  safety  of  motorcycles  will  be  addressed  through  a  proposal  for  a  Regulation  on  the 
approval of Two- and Three-Wheelers and Quadricycles. 
OJ L 141, 6.6.2009, p.12. 
OJ L 203, 10.8.2000, p. 1. 
COM(2010) 186. 

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3. 

Further  assess  the  impact  and  benefits  of  co-operative  systems  to  identify  most 
their 
beneficial  applications  and  recommend 
synchronised deployment. 

the  relevant  measures  for 

Objective n° 5: Promote the use of modern technology to increase road safety  

A  number  of  studies  and  research  activities  on  Intelligent  Transport  Systems  (ITS)  were 
carried  out  during  the  period  covered  by  the  3rd  RSAP.  ITS  have  the  potential  to  play  a 
considerable role for the improvement of traffic safety, for example through the adoption of 
systems to detect incidents and supervise traffic that are able to provide information to road 
users in real time.  

Within  the  framework  of  the  implementation  of  the  ITS  Action  Plan13  and  of  the  proposed 
ITS  Directive14,  the  Commission  will  notably  propose  technical  specifications  necessary  to 
exchange data and information between vehicles (V2V), between vehicles and infrastructure 
(V2I)  and  between  infrastructures  (I2I).  The  possibility  of  extending  the  implementation  of 
Advanced  Driver  Assistance  Systems  (ADAS)  such  as  Lane  Departure  Warning,  Anti 
Collision  Warning  or  Pedestrian  Recognition  systems  by  retrofitting  them  to  existing 
commercial and/or private vehicles should also be further assessed. Accelerated deployment 
and  broad  market  take-up  of  such  safety  enhancing  applications  needs  to  be  supported  in 
order for their full potential to be unleashed. 

Within the next seven years, ITS should contribute decisively to improving the effectiveness 
and  speed  of  rescue,  and  in  particular  the  adoption  of  the  pan-European  emergency  call 
service fitted to vehicles, eCall15. The impact and scope for extending the use of eCall should 
be examined, in particular with a view to improving rescue actions for motorcyclists, heavy 
duty vehicles and buses. 

Finally,  in  spite  of  their  positive  contribution  to  road  safety,  the  development  of  ITS,  in 
particular  in-vehicle  systems  and  nomadic  devices,  raises  a  number  of  concerns  from  the 
safety  point  of  view  (distraction,  impact  on  training,  etc.)  which  will  require  further 
consideration. 

Actions: 

Within the context of the implementation of the ITS Action Plan and of the proposed ITS 
Directive, the Commission will cooperate with the Member States with a view to:  

1. 

2. 

Evaluate  the  feasibility  of  retrofitting  commercial  vehicles  and  private  cars  with 
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. 

Accelerate the deployment of e-Call and examine its extension to other vehicles. 

Objective n°6: Improve emergency and post-injuries services 

13 
14 
15 

COM(2008) 886. 
COM(2008) 887. 
See COM(2009) 434.  

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While the number of fatalities has decreased between 2001 and 2010, the number of injured 
people  is  still  very  high,  as  illustrated  by  the  table  below.  As  repeatedly  stressed  by  the 
stakeholders during the public consultation, reducing the number of injuries should be one of 
the  priority  actions  within  Europe  for  the  next  decade.  Road  injuries  have  also  been 
recognized as a major public health concern at international level, in particular by the World 
Health Organization16 and in the framework of the UN Decade for Action on road safety. 

Evolution of fatalities,accidents and injured
 EU

100.000

75.000

s
e
i
t
i
l

a
t
a
F

50.000

25.000

0

2.000.000

1.800.000

1.600.000

1.400.000

1.200.000

1.000.000

800.000

600.000

400.000

200.000

0

d
e
r
u
n
I

j

,
s
t
n
e
d
c
c
A

i

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Fatalities

Accidents

Injured

Reducing the seriousness of injuries from road accidents requires the introduction of a range 
of  diverse  actions,  for  example  on  the  safety  of  the  vehicle  and  of  infrastructure,  ITS,  the 
availability  of  emergency  aid,  the  speed  and  coordination  of  intervention,  the  efficiency  of 
first aid and rehabilitation, etc. 

Therefore,  the  Commission  will  develop  the  elements  of  a  global  strategy  of  action 
concerning  road  injuries  and  first  aid,  with  the  help  of  a  Task  Force  bringing  together  the 
relevant  actors,  representatives  of 
international  and  non-governmental  organisations, 
government experts and the Commission. 

Initially, it would seek to find a common understanding of definitions and concepts relating to 
casualties and to identify courses of action to improve prevention and intervention, including 
their  socio-economic  impact.  On  this  basis,  precise  actions  could  be  identified,  such  as 
exchange of good practices, development of intervention guides, a common approach to the 
definition  of  major  and  minor  injuries,  promotion  of  the  creation  of  mixed  rescue  units 
between Member States, etc. 

Action 

In  collaboration  with  Member  States  and  other  actors  involved  in  road  safety,  the 
Commission will propose the setting-up of a global strategy of action on road injuries and 
first aid. 

16 

World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, WHO, 2004. 

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Objective n°7: Protect vulnerable road users  

The  high  number  of  fatalities  and  serious  injuries  faced  by  vulnerable  road  users  such  as 
riders of motorcycles, mopeds, cyclists and pedestrians are significant and in some European 
States  still  increasing.  In  2008,  they  represented  45%  of  all  road  deaths  and  statistics  (see 
graph below) show that they have been given insufficient attention until now. 

EU fatalities evolution 2001 - 2008

-60%

-50%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

pedestrian

car

motorcycle

moped

bus

bicycle

agricultural
veh.

heavy
goods veh.

light goods
veh.

Further, other users present an intrinsic "fragility" (e.g. elderly, young children, the disabled), 
whatever their role in traffic (pedestrian, driver, passenger). Their vulnerability is particularly 
high in urban areas17. 

•  Powered-two-wheelers (PTWs) 

This ever-growing group of users is the one where it is the most difficult to attain a significant 
reduction in accidents and fatalities. In particular, as shown by the graph below, the reduction 
rate of fatalities amongst motorcycle riders is lower than for other road users18. 

17 
18 

People above 65 year-old counted in 2008 for 28% of road fatalities in urban areas. 
For  instance,  between  2001  and  2008,  the  reduction  rate  of  road  deaths  for  PTWs  was  only  4% 
compared to 35% for car occupants and drivers. 

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Evolution of fatalities
EU

s
e

i
t
i
l

a

t

a

f

l
l

A

80.000

70.000

60.000

50.000

40.000

30.000

20.000

10.000

0

6.500

5.500

4.500

3.500

2.500

1.500

500

- 500

s
t
s

i
l

c
y
c
r
o
r
o
M

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

All fatalities

Motorcy clists

The problem of motorcyclists' safety should be addressed through a range of actions, with a 
view to: 

1. 

2. 

Improving awareness of PTW riders by other road users. 

Encouraging research and technical developments aimed at increasing PTW's safety 
and reducing the consequences of accidents, such as standards for personal protective 
equipment, airbags, the use of relevant ITS applications (e.g. eCall) and progressive 
installation  of  advanced  braking  systems,  appropriate  anti-tampering  measures,  etc. 
The  Commission  will  propose  to  extend  to  PTWs  the  existing  EU  legislation 
concerning  roadworthiness  testing.  Finally,  on-going  efforts  to  better  adapt  road 
infrastructure to PTWs (e.g. safer guardrails) should also be continued. 

3. 

Encouraging  Member  States  to  focus  enforcement  on  speed,  drink  and  driving, 
helmet use, tampering and riding without a proper PTW licence. 

•  Pedestrians, cyclists 

In 2008, cyclists and pedestrians represented 27%  of road deaths  (47% in urban  areas).  For 
many  potential  cyclists,  real  or  perceived  road  safety  risks  remain  a  decisive  obstacle. 
National and local governments are increasingly involved in promoting cycling and walking, 
which will require that more and more attention is paid to road safety issues. 

Since  2003,  legislation  has  been  introduced  at  EU  level  to  reduce  injury  risks  (e.g.  energy 
absorbing  car-front  structures,  advanced  braking  systems,  blind-spot  mirrors,  etc.).  Further 
actions  will  need  to  be  examined  (e.g.  improved  visibility,  speed  management,  adequate 
infrastructure for non-motorised transport, separation of dangerous mixed traffic, etc). Since 
the  problem  is  mainly  related  to  urban  management,  most  of  the  actions  will  have  to  be 
carried  out  at  local  level,  in  accordance  with  the  Commission's  Action  Plan  on  Urban 
Mobility19.  Given  the  significant  environmental,  climate,  congestion  and  public  health 
benefits of cycling, it merits reflection whether more could not be done in this area. 

19 

COM(2009) 490. 

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•  Elderly people and people with disabilities 

Elderly people represented 20% of road fatalities (40% as pedestrians) in 2008. Ageing of the 
population is putting an urgent emphasis on the need to assess older people's vulnerability in 
traffic. Also, persons with disabilities are at a significant risk. Knowledge is still very limited 
in  this  field  and  focused  research  efforts  are  needed,  including  on  medical  criteria  for  the 
assessment of fitness-to-drive. 

Actions 

•  The Commission will make appropriate proposals with a view to: 

1.  Monitoring and further developing technical standards for the protection of 

vulnerable road users. 

2. 

3. 

Including powered-two wheelers in vehicle inspections. 

Increasing  the  safety  of  cycling  and  other  vulnerable  road  users,  e.g.  by 
encouraging the establishment of adequate infrastructures. 

•  Member States should develop information, communication and dialogue between road 
users and with the competent authorities. The Commission will contribute to this effort.  

5. 

5.1 

IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE EUROPEAN  ROAD  SAFETY  POLICY  ORIENTATIONS 2011-
2020 

Improving  the  commitment  of  all  parties  concerned  through  stronger 
governance 

•  Priority for implementation of the EU legislative acquis in the field of road safety 

With over a dozen legislative instruments on road safety, the EU acquis is essentially in place. 
The Commission intends to give priority to monitoring the full and correct implementation of 
the EU road safety acquis by Member States. 

•  Setting-up  an  open  cooperation  framework  between  Member  States  and  the 

Commission 

A  structured  framework  for  open  cooperation  between  the  Member  States  and  the 
Commission  should  be  set  up  to  implement  the  EU  road  safety  policy  and  to  monitor  the 
progress achieved. It would include: 

–  the  development  by  Member  States  of  national  road  safety  plans.  Such  plans  should 
describe  the  means  to  achieve  the  common  objective,  draw  up  a  timetable  and  publicise 
details  of  the  national  plan.  They  could  also  include  specific  national  objectives  in 
accordance with their particular situation.  

–  close  cooperation  between  the  Commission  and  the  Member  States  with  a  view  to 
monitoring  progress  towards  the  common  objective  and  to  improving  data  collection, 
sharing experiences, twinning and exchanging best practices. 

EN 

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5.2 

Common tools for monitoring and evaluating the efficiency of road safety policies 

•  Improve monitoring through data collection and analysis 

Under a Council Decision of 199320,, Member States have the obligation to communicate to 
the  Commission  data  on  road  accidents  resulting  in  death  or  injury  that  occur  within  their 
territories with a view to setting up a Community data bank, the CARE database. 

The  quality  and  comparability  of  CARE  data  are  overall  satisfactory,  except  for  the 
comparability of data on the injured. Moreover, a great deal remains to be done concerning 
risk exposure and performance indicators.  

The  available  European  road  safety  data  and  knowledge  have  been  integrated  and  made 
publicly  available  on  the  Internet  through  the  European  Road  Safety  Observatory  (ERSO). 
Such  an  integrated  tool  is  essential  for  monitoring  the  application  of  road  safety  policies, 
evaluating  their  impact  and  devising  new  initiatives.  The  Commission  will  therefore  pursue 
the further development of ERSO, including actions on communication and on information of 
citizens on road safety issues.  

•  Increase understanding of crashes and risks 

Technical  investigations  following  an  accident  can  bring  a  valuable  return  in  terms  of 
experience which is useful for the future development of safety in road transport. For air, rail 
and  maritime  transport,  an  EU  framework  requires  the  creation  by  Member  States  of 
independent technical investigation bodies. 

The Commission will examine to what extent the principles and methods applied in the other 
modes of transport for technical investigations after accidents could be transposed to the field 
of road transport, taking into account the specific character of the latter. 

The  added  value  of  developing  and  installing  event  data  recorders  (‘black  boxes’),  in 
particular  on  professional  vehicles,  already  mentioned  in  the  3rd  RSAP,  will  be  examined 
taking into account the socio-economic impact. 

Actions: 

•  The Commission will cooperate with the Member States with a view to: 

1. 

2. 

Promoting  twinnings and other  modes of cooperation to increase the safety 
level of Member States. 

Improving data collection and analysis as regards accidents and developing 
the role of the European Road Safety Observatory. 

•  The Commission will: 

3. 

Closely  monitor  the  correct  implementation  of  the  European  acquis  in  the 
field of road safety. 

20 

JO L 329, 30.12.1993, p. 63 

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4. 

Examine  the  need  for  common  principles  for  technical  road  accident 
investigation. 

6. 

CONCLUSION  

The proposed policy orientations constitute a plan of possible actions envisaged for the next 
decade. The actors concerned underlined, in particular during the consultation of stakeholders, 
the extent to which Europe, by giving a framework for action and ambitious objectives, has 
stimulated efforts at all levels and enabled the achievement of significant results.  

The  proposed  policy  orientations  provides  a  general  framework  under  which,  at  various 
European,  national,  regional  or  local  levels  concerned,  concrete  initiatives  could  be  taken. 
Individual measures would be subject to proper impact assessment in line with established EU 
better regulation principles. The role of the Commission will be to make proposals on matters 
where  the  EU  is  competent  and,  in  all  other  cases,  to  support  initiatives  taken  at  various 
levels,  to  encourage  the  exchange  of  information,  to  identify  and  promote  the  best  results 
obtained and to follow carefully the progress achieved. 

EN 

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