· - 138,400 pedestrians
and cyclists killed in road
traffic over twelve years
· - EU set to review
motor vehicle safety rules: campaigners
call for new safety technologies to be fitted as standard –
pedestrian
protection tests for new cars should be upgraded and
extended to protection for
cyclists
· - EU member states
should implement 30 km/h zones
in residential areas
Brussels - 7,600
people died in road traffic while cycling or walking in the
EU in 2013
according to new research: the equivalent of a commercial
airliner full of
passengers being lost every week.
The risk of being killed in traffic as a
pedestrian differs
greatly among European countries. It is lowest in The
Netherlands and
Scandinavia, but about 6 times greater in Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland and Romania. Latvia and Lithuania are responding to
this
challenge by achieving two of the fastest reductions in
risk.
“Despite the health and environmental benefits, people who cycle and walk are not getting a fair share of improvements in road safety in Europe. This year, the EU has a very powerful weapon at its disposal, namely the review of safety requirements for new vehicles – it should not shy away from mandating the changes that can save the most lives.”
ETSC says the EU should upgrade the pedestrian protection tests that form part of the ‘type approval’ process that all new vehicles sold on the EU market must undergo. The tests should also take into account the need to better protect cyclists when they are hit by a car. In addition new vehicles should be fitted with an overridable system for helping drivers stick to speed limits, known as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA). Some carmakers already offer such a system as an optional extra. ETSC is also calling for mandatory safety requirements for heavy goods vehicles to improve visibility and prevent vulnerable road users from being run over.
At the national level, the report recommends encouraging local authorities to introduce 30km/h zones in residential areas and areas used by many pedestrians and cyclists. This is already happening in a number of countries. The German government announced last month it would make it easier for local authorities to introduce 30km/h zones near schools on main roads.
The risks of being killed as a pedestrian or as a cyclist are both least in childhood and rise progressively over adult life.
The report also says urban planning should be based on a hierarchy of road users where pedestrians, cyclists and public transport are prioritised.
Notes to editors:
1. A major new study published in April for the European Commission has identified a range of new vehicle safety technologies that are suitable for mandatory fitting as part of the review of EU vehicle safety legislation. The report, carried out by consultants TRL, names technologies including Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) and Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) as ‘feasible in terms of the technology required’, already available on the market and offering a positive benefit-cost ratio. http://etsc.eu/commission-report-gives-green-lights-for-mandatory-fitting-of-new-safety-tech/
2. The European Commission has repeatedly promised to introduce a strategic target to cut the number of serious injuries on European roads – currently there is only an EU target to reduce deaths. Serious injuries have declined more slowly than deaths in recent years. The intention to introduce a separate target was reconfirmed in a press release published by the new Commission in March. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4656_en.htm
3. In April, Germany’s Federal Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced legal changes that will make it easier for local authorities to implement 30km/h zones. http://etsc.eu/germany-unblocks-30kmh-zones/.
4. 30km/h zones are gaining acceptance across Europe. http://etsc.eu/30-kmh-limits-gaining-rapid-acceptance-across-europe/
Πηγή: www.etsc.eu
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