Vision Zero: latest road safety research and initiatives from Brake

Sustainability Policy: Accessibility The UK government has announced plans to develop a transport network that makes travel easier for disabled people by 2030. The Inclusive Transport Strategy is part of a wider plan to get a million more disabled people into work by 2027, and highlights how new technologies and services will be used to make transport in the UK more accessible. Strategy objectives include improved public awareness; enforcement of passenger rights; increased staff training; and the introduction of specialised infrastructure.

Roads Policy: Speed limits Leading road safety stakeholders in Thailand have met to discuss the introduction of safer speed limits across the country. Representatives from the Department of Highways and the Royal Thai Police met with government officials, road safety campaigners and other experts to discuss how to tackle the gaps and loopholes in Thailand’s current speed limit laws. The meeting, which was organised by the AIP Foundation and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, also considered the most effective and appropriate default speed limits for different road types. Thailand is currently ranked second worldwide for road traffic deaths per capita (36.2 fatalities per 100,000 people) and tackling high urban and rural speed limits is a major opportunity to reduce speed-related risk on their roads.   Vehicles Policy: Autonomous vehicles Stakeholders need greater awareness of the limitations of autonomous vehicle technology before it becomes available to the public, says a new report by SWOV. Widespread vehicle automation is rapidly becoming a reality but vehicles can only drive autonomously in certain conditions at present. When those conditions are not met – for example, if a vehicle is involved in a complex road traffic situation – the driver must take control of the vehicle to steer it out of danger. A simulator study carried out by SWOV found that even the best-trained and most-experienced drivers took time to register and react to a hazard after regaining control of their vehicle, placing themselves and other road users at risk. Research: Tyre-pressure-monitoring systems   Many EU drivers are at risk of driving with under-inflated tyres, according to a study by the independent certification agency, Dekra. All new European passenger cars must be fitted with a tyre-pressure-monitoring system (TPMS) that alerts drivers when tyres are deflated or tyre pressure is dangerously low. Systems that use sensors to measure tyre pressure were found to be much more reliable than those that rely on software to estimate the pressure, but many car manufacturers choose to fit cheaper, software-based systems. After measuring the tyre pressure of about 1,000 cars, in random checks carried out in Italy and Portugal, Dekra found that vehicles fitted with TPMS are safer than those without – supporting the European Commission’s proposal that all vehicles should be fitted with the system. However, they also found that TPMS often fail to meet their full potential in real-life conditions, or on replacement tyres, putting the lives at risk. Raising awareness   The Automobile Club of Moldova (AMC) has launched an online platform for people to donate pre-used child restraint systems to low-income families that would otherwise be unable to afford them. Moldovan law requires children to be restrained in appropriate car seats until they are 12 years old, but the use of car seats is rarely enforced and overall usage rates are low. As part of its ‘Kind child restraint’ project, the AMC hopes to enable access to safe, appropriate and affordable child restraints for everyone. Learn more: Watch Brake’s animation about the importance of using correctly-fitted child seats for children up to the height of 150cm.