Letter to Heads of States and Governments από την Global Alliance for Road Safety NGOs

AN OPEN LETTER TO HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENTS 15 September 2023 Dear world leaders, We are writing to you today in the lead-up to the 2023 UN SDG Summit in New York with a sense of urgency and alarm. The upcoming Summit should be a forum where the crisis on our roads and the need to rethink mobility are addressed. We are disappointed that mobility has been overlooked in the political declaration to be adopted at the Summit. Rethinking mobility is critical not only for SDG 3.6 and 11.2 but also as an enabler to achieve a host of other SDGs. 3,700 people are killed daily on the roads worldwide. We cannot accept these tragedies. We cannot accept that road injuries are the leading cause of death in people aged 5-29  and a major cause of disability. We cannot accept the devastating effects of crashes on families and communities, from loss of income, jobs, and education to physical pain and psychological problems. We cannot accept that evidence-based interventions are not financed to the scale required and that roads are not built with safety in mind, especially for those most at risk. We cannot accept that even though we know what works to reduce road deaths and injuries, we are not implementing it. We are not doing enough to rethink mobility. We are leaving people behind. Rethinking mobility isn’t just about reducing road deaths and injuries. It is also about creating more livable and sustainable cities and communities, improving air quality, and reducing noise pollution. A safe road system enables children to get to school and their parents to access decent work opportunities. It must consider safe mobility for all, including those who walk, bike, or take public transport, not just motorized vehicle users. This can contribute to reducing emissions and making people healthier and societies more equitable.  We urge you to take action to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030. How? By rethinking mobility and prioritizing road safety interventions that have been proven to save lives and reduce injuries. When you return to your country after this Summit, we urge you to make specific public commitments to implement lower speed limits; 30 km/h zones where people walk, cycle, live, and play; and road infrastructure to protect pedestrians, such as speed bumps, footpaths, and raised crossings. How can you back up these commitments? By allocating funds to these proven interventions and involving people and communities—youth, women, and other overlooked road users—in decisions that affect them, to make our streets safe and inclusive for all. We have only 2,664 days until the end of 2030: 2,664 days to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% and to achieve the full SDG agenda for a safe, sustainable future for people and planet that leaves no one behind. We cannot afford to wait any longer. Take action with us. Together, we can make a difference. Yours sincerely, Road safety advocates around the world

 

3η εκδήλωση ενημέρωσης και διαβούλευσης για το Σχέδιο Βιώσιμης Αστικής Κινητικότητας (ΣΒΑΚ) Βύρωνα

Τετάρτη 13/9 στις 18:00

Τετάρτη 13 Σεπτεμβρίου 2023 18:00 – 21:00 Δημαρχείο Βύρωνα, Αίθουσα Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου   O Δήμος Βύρωνα, σε συνεργασία με το Δίκτυο Πόλεων για τη Βιώσιμη Κινητικότητα CIVINET και την ΜΣΜ consulting, καταρτίζει το Σχέδιο Βιώσιμης Αστικής Κινητικότητας (ΣΒΑΚ) Βύρωνα.

Στο πλαίσιο του ΣΒΑΚ, η ομάδα έργου υιοθετεί μια έντονα συμμετοχική προσέγγιση, εμπλέκοντας ενεργά σε όλες τις φάσεις του έργου την τοπική κοινωνία.   Γι’ αυτό σε προσκαλούμε:   Την Τετάρτη 13 Σεπτεμβρίου στις 18:00 στην 3η εκδήλωση ενημέρωσης και διαβούλευσης για το ΣΒΑΚ Βύρωνα που θα λάβει χώρα στο Δημαρχείο, στην Αίθουσα Δημοτικού Συμβουλίου.   Την εκδήλωση θα ανοίξουν εκπρόσωποι της Δημοτικής Αρχής με ένα σύντομο χαιρετισμό, ενώ θα ακολουθήσουν παρουσιάσεις της ομάδας συμβούλων του Δήμου. Στο δεύτερο μέρος της εκδήλωσης θα πραγματοποιηθεί εργαστήριο διαβούλευσης, όπου με την καθοδήγηση της ομάδας του έργου οι συμμετέχοντες θα έχουν την ευκαιρία να συμβάλουν ενεργά στην εξέλιξη του ΣΒΑΚ.

 

PRESS RELEASE: New Guide to Empower Creation of Road Safety Data Coalitions in AfricaPRESS από την Global Alliance for Road Safety NGOs

 

 

NEW GUIDE TO EMPOWER CREATION OF ROAD SAFETY DATA COALITIONS IN AFRICA

14 September 2023

Today, the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance) and the International Road Federation (IRF), with the support of the TotalEnergies Foundation program, are pleased to release the LEARN Guide, a new resource of information and support to empower road safety advocates globally.

The LEARN (Learn, Examine, Act, Replicate, Network) program has already undergone successful piloting and implementation in six African countries (Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia). The initiative has led to the formation of coalitions in each country, bringing together NGOs, government, and other stakeholders. Using a data-driven approach, these coalitions tackle specific road safety challenges and solutions, including 30 km/h zones and crash investigation, among others. 

The guide enables NGOs and other road safety stakeholders to set up their own LEARN coalitions, benefiting from the tools and learning experiences of existing ones. Structured in six straightforward steps, coupled with templates and advice, its main objective is to enhance road safety data collection and management in African countries and to contribute toward halving the estimated 744 deaths resulting from road crashes on African roads every day according to WHO data.

Road safety data management is one of the areas highlighted in both the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 (Global Plan) and the African Road Safety Charter. The need for multi-stakeholder collaboration has been highlighted as key to improving road safety data, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Lotte Brondum, Executive Director of the Alliance, said, “NGOs can play a pivotal role in supporting their governments to achieve a 50% reduction in road deaths and injuries. The Global Plan tasks civil society with augmenting the evidence base and bringing the perspectives of communities. This guide is equipping NGOs in Africa to do just that. We are delighted to work with IRF on this important program and thank TotalEnergies for providing financial support to make it possible.”

Susanna Zammataro, Director General of IRF, said, “Road safety decision-making must be based on evidence and data, but sometimes specific, contextual data is not available. Through the formation of powerful multi stakeholders’ coalitions, LEARN is not only helping to address this gap, but building also capacity at different levels and strengthening action in Africa by enhancing collaboration and coordination.”

Olivier Rabier, Program Director, TotalEnergies Foundation, said, “Safety is at the heart of TotalEnergies’ values. LEARN seamlessly aligns with our unwavering commitment to supporting effective responses to society's challenges. The initiative is equipping civil society organizations and government policy-makers to work together and to use data to make good road safety decisions that can help save lives on Africa's roads.”

Read LEARN Program: a guide for implementing HERE. Read the full press release HERE.

LEARN Program: empowering road safety data coalitions in Africa

Historic day for road safety NGOs (Ιστορική ημέρα της ΜΚΟ Global Alliance for Road Safety and Road Victims

#RETHINKMOBILITY PAINTING PRESENTED TO UN SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLING FOR ACTION ON ROAD SAFETY   On Wednesday 30 August 2023, the Alliance, on behalf of its members and together with the Permanent Mission of El Salvador to the United Nations and MOVES, presented a painting, titled #RethinkMobility to UN Secretary-General, António Guterres as a call to action for governments and international authorities to prioritize safe mobility and road safety on the global agenda.   The artwork, by Salvadoran artist Gerardo Gómez, was commissioned for the Eighth Global Meeting of Nongovernmental Organizations Advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims in March 2023. It depicts a world where everyone has access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable mobility. It incorporates Alliance member NGOs’ words and shows road safety interventions that are needed to enable every person to access education, work, and the choices that facilitate them to achieve their maximum potential. These include 30 km/h zones and lower speed limits, pedestrian facilities and traffic calming, and helmet laws with promotion and enforcement.    The presentation of the painting to Secretary-General Guterres occurred as UN Member States prepare for the upcoming SDG Summit. Road safety is specifically addressed in SDG 3.6 and 11.2. Moreover, safe roads and mobility are key enablers for a significant number of SDGs, including decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, and climate action. It's concerning that safe mobility is overlooked in the final draft of the political declaration that will be adopted at the SDG Summit. We call on governments to address road safety as an issue that is integrated, indivisible, and interlinked to the full SDG agenda. Civil society can play a role by advocating with their governments to attend the SDG Summit, include safe mobility in their country statements and commitments, and implement evidence-based road safety interventions to help them achieve the SDGs in their countries by 2030.    Lotte Brondum, the Alliance’s Executive Director, who presented the painting on behalf of the NGOs, said at the meeting, “By 2050, two thirds of the world will live in cities. Safe mobility, especially safe cycling, walking, and public transport, are enablers for many of the SDGs, including those addressing health, climate, and equity.”   Read more about the artist and the meaning of the painting HERE. Read Alliance members’ call to action HERE. Read how you can raise road safety and safe mobility ahead of the SDG Summit HERE.

H ΕΥΘΥΤΑ-ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΡΙΟ ΟΔΙΚΗΣ ΑΣΦΑΛΕΙΑΣ ΡΟΔΟΥ  είναι ενεργό μέλος της

 

RoadSafe News

 

 

UK news

THINK! relaunches its Travel Like You Know Them campaign THINK! relaunches its Travel Like You Know Them campaign, as part of continued efforts to raise awareness of the 2022 Highway Code changes  Read more...

Driving at work

Fleet Risk: What are the biggest risk factors at-work drivers? Driving for work remains a risky activity for employees and collisions can be disruptive for businesses. Human impact aside, the Department for Transport has calculated an average cost of £2,522 for cases without any injuries, rising to £2.1m per person for fatalities.  Read more...

Collision Investigation Training More than a quarter of all road traffic collisions involve people driving for work. With that in mind, TRL has designed a training course to equip Health and Safety, Fleet and Operations Managers responsible for fleet management with the required skills and knowledge to address issues arising from incidents involving company vehicles and staff.  Read more...

How technology is shaping the fleet safety landscape FORS, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, has published a free-to-download guide, entitled FORS Focus on Transport Trends: how technology is shaping the fleet safety landscape.  Read more...

Safe System Analysis of Driving for Work Crashes   Read more...

Fleet Focus Update - Other Road Users National Highways and Driving for Better Business continue to provide free resources with their new fleet focus update focussing on vulnerable road users.   Read more...

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV)

Self-Driving Toolkit The toolkit provides a set of clear definitions, terminologies and explanations, using plain language for use in self-driving vehicle marketing.  Read more...

The tech-driven roads of tomorrow:   Read more...

Conferences and events

Keynote Speakers Announced for NETS Annual Strength IN Numbers Conference   Read more...

Young drivers

Rules around motorway driving for new motorists In the UK, there are certain rules around motorway driving that new motorists need to be aware of before heading out on the roads. These rules have been updated in recent years, with the latest regulations now permitting learners to use the motorway under certain conditions.  Read more...

How Do Young Provisional Drivers Who Crash Early Compare With Those Who Only Crash Later? Deaths and injuries arising from road crashes are a major problem in Australia, as throughout the world. It is well recognised that young people represent a high-risk group within the road system.  Read more...

Cycle safety

Cross-modal Intervention to Improve Cyclist Awareness Levels Cyclists are one of the most over-represented types of road user in road traffic casualty and fatality statistics. These casualties and fatalities occur, in the overwhelming majority of cases, as a result of an interaction with a motorised vehicle  Read more...

Safer vehicles

India Launches NCAP he Indian Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has launched an indigenous star-rating system for crash testing cars  Read more...

Europe-wide safety changes to HGV design Research by Loughborough University has led to the creation of a new European standard for HGV design which will help prevent hundreds of people from being killed or seriously injured each year.  Read more...

Safer roads

New Interactive Reports webpage demos cool potential of data analytics A new Interactive Reports webpage from iRAP illustrate examples of cool data analytics  Read more...

Safer drivers

Call for evidence – Driver licensing for people with medical conditions As the volume and complexity of driving licence applications or renewals where the applicant has 1 or more medical condition increases, the government believes that the time is right to review the existing legal framework.  Read more...

Speed management

Vehicle speed compliance statistics for Great Britain: 2022 DfT's statistical release presents estimates of vehicle compliance with speed limits in free-flowing conditions on roads in Great Britain.  Read more...

Lower Urban Speed Limits in Europe PACTS latest research confirms that 20mph limits backed by physical measures have substantially greater speed and casualty reduction benefits than those without.  Read more...

Community safety

Birmingham announces an extensive road safety campaign Authorities in Birmingham have announced an extensive road safety campaign, including ‘relentless enforcement of the rules of the road’, after a number of recent deaths caused by ‘unacceptable acts of road violence’.  Read more...

School Safety Zone Toolkit roll out in Asia A structured guide developed by EASST to support schools and communities in implementing community-led road safety projects  Read more...

Forthcoming events

Cenex Connected Automated Mobility Exhibition – 6 September 2023 European Traffic Education Seminar 2023 – 12 September 2023 TyreSafe Annual Briefing – 14 September 2023 Understanding the Impacts of Road Trauma: The Effects on Professional Drivers – 14 September 2023 The Australasian Road Safety Conference 2023 – 19 September 2023 Musculoskeletal disorders and whole body vibration from driving: Manage the risk to your workforce – 25 September 2023 Delivering The Safe System Approach – 25 September 2023 ScORSA Driver Behaviour and Enforcement Event – 26 September 2023 Delivering The Safe System Approach – 2 October 2023 ADINJC & Intelligent Instructor National Conference & Expo – 8 October 2023 Collision Investigation Training – 10 October 2023 NETS 2023 Annual Strength IN Numbers® Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference – 10 October 2023 EU Road Safety Exchange Launch Event – 18 October 2023 ICE Live – 18 October 2023 Delivering the Safe System Approach – 23 October 2023 2023 National Road Safety Conference – 15 November 2023 Brake’s Road Safety Week – 19 November 2023 Driving Instructors Association conference 2023 – 24 November 2023 Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards 2023 – 12 December 2023

 

NRSO Road Safety

 

ETSC – 17th Annual Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Report, June 2023 The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) published the 17th edition of PIN Annual Report, with the active contribution of NTUA, presented at the 2023 ETSC Road Safety Performance Index Award event which took place with great success on 20 June 2023 in Brussels. The EU27 collectively reduced the number of road deaths by 22% over the period 2012-2022. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has awarded its 2023 Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Award to Poland for the first time, because the country cut road deaths by 47% between 2012 and 2022, a rate only bettered by Lithuania, last year’s winner.

Latest Developments

Global Alliance NGOs – Accountability Toolkit Launched, July 2023 The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety launched, with the active contribution of NTUA, an accountability toolkit, which is a set of practical, web-based tools. It offers tangible steps to equip NGOs to hold their governments accountable for the safety of all road users by reducing road deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030, in alignment with the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 (Global Plan). The toolkit is a practical resource for NGOs and other civil society advocates and is underpinned by five Priority Interventions that have been proven to be among the most effective in reducing road deaths and injuries.

FIA Road Safety Index, July 2023 The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has recently released the FIA Road Safety Index, a tool that provides Organisations with a methodology to assess their road safety performance and calculate their safety footprint, relying on a similar concept as the carbon footprint calculators. The safety footprint of an Organisation refers to the number of fatalities and seriously injured persons as a result of road crashes occurring within its entire value chain. Designed on the basis of a long-term commitment, the index offers a systematic approach to identify, measure and follow up road safety results from a value chain perspective.

PIARC – Boosting Road Safety in LMICs: Focus on Speed, May 2023 The World Road Association – PIARC  launched an ambitious PIARC Knowledge Exchange project, aiming at sharing knowledge about road safety, with the active contribution of NTUA, especially within Low and Middle Income Countries with limited resources but also in more developed economies with different needs and priorities. The theme of this month refers to Speed, as presented by the PIARC Technical Committee 3.1 "Road Safety" member John Barrell. Throughout the year, PIARC will focus on the Safe System approach, addressing safe roads and roadsides, safe road users, safe vehicles and safe speeds.

Statistics Corner

IRF – World Road Statistics 2023 Open to All, September 2023 The International Road Federation (IRF) released the 60th edition of the IRF World Road Statistics 2023 (WRS2023), with data now open to all for free through the IRF WRS Data Warehouse platform, thanks to the generous support of the TotalEnergies Foundation and Michelin Corporate Foundation. The IRF WRS 2023 continues to be the major comprehensive, universal source of statistical data on road networks, traffic and inland transport, including traffic accidents. This year the WRS 2023 includes the latest data covering years 2016 to 2021, with the active contribution of NTUA for the Greek data. It includes over 200 road and transport-sector related indicators across 11 sections, covering more than 200 countries and territories   . Follow the launching event on 28 September 2023.

Our Publications

George Yannis – Why city-wide 30 km/hour speed limit? July 2023 NTUA Professor George Yannis contributed actively at the Scientific Workshop on: “Should we promote a 30 km/hr speed limit in cities?” organised by the Chair of Transportation Systems Engineering of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). which was held in Munich on July 6th, 2023. The Workshop hosted vivid discussions from Key - Experts on the different dimensions and perspectives of city-wide 30 km/h speed limit . Professor George Yannis contributed two key-note presentations:  Why city-wide 30km/h speed limit?  Artificial Intelligence, Big Data & Road Safety

i-DREAMS – Smart Driver Behaviour Assessment Workshop, Brussels, April 2023 The Horizon 2020 project i-DREAMS (smart Driver Environment Assesment and Monitoring System) organised its Final Event which was held in Brussels, on 26 April 2023. In this i-DREAMS Workshop the main accomplishments of the project for the role of human factors in transport safety were discussed. Results indicated that the integrated treatment of task complexity, coping capacity and risk can improve behavior and safety of all travellers and all transport modes, through unobtrusive and seamless behaviour monitoring.   NTUA actively contributed with the following presentations:  Key results of the i-DREAMS project: Determinants of risk An integrated model of driver-vehicle-environment interaction and risk

HADRIAN Symposium, Graz, Austria, May 2023 The HADRIAN Symposium was held in Graz, Austria, on 9-10 May 2023, under the theme "Shaping automated driving for human mobility needs". The Horizon 2020 project HADRIAN  (Holistic Approach for Driver Role Integration and Automation Allocation for European Mobility Needs) evaluated an holistic approach to shape automated driving to meet societal mobility needs. Over the last three years, the HADRIAN consortium investigated innovations within this scope and tested and demonstrated them in driving simulators and in real vehicles on test tracks and open roads. Results revealed that the “Integrated fluid HMI” had a great improvement in takeover performance and distraction prevention as well as outperformed with less mental or cognitive effort, higher comfort in use, and control feeling.   NTUA actively contributed with the following presentations: HADRIAN Safety and Impact Assessment  HADRIAN Safety Impact

Transport Research Arena (TRA), Lisbon, November 2022 The European Commission and the Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI) together with the European Transport Research Platforms ACARE, ALICE, CEDR, ECTP, ERRAC, ERTRAC, ETRA and Waterborne, organised with great success the Transport Research Arena Conference (TRA2022) which took place in Lisbon, on 14-17 November 2022. The pillars of the Conference were the scientific excellence, research and innovation challenges, the latest technological and industrial developments and innovative policies regarding the European Transport Research and Innovation and the cooperation of Europe with other continents.    Click here for all NTUA presentations...

Real-Time Monitoring of Driver Distraction: State-of-the-art and future insights, August 2023 A paper titled “Real-Time Monitoring of Driver Distraction: State-of-the-art and future insights” authored by Eva Michelaraki, Chistos Katrakazas, Susanne Kaiser, Tom Brijs and George Yannis, has been published in Accident Analysis & Prevention. The aim of the present research is to critically review and assess the state-of-the-art systems and platforms measuring driver distraction or inattention. The results indicated that real-time eye tracking systems, cardiac sensors on steering wheels, smartphone applications and cameras were the most frequent devices to monitor and detect driver distraction. On the other hand, less frequent and effective approaches included electrodes, hand magnetic rings and glasses.

Investigating the influence of mobile phone use on driving behavior with Machine Learning analysis of imbalanced data, March 2023 A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Investigating the influence of mobile phone use on driving behavior with Machine Learning analysis of imbalanced data” was recently presented by Konstantinos-Eirinaios Kaselouris. For classification and regression of mobile phone usage, telematics data from the OSeven telematics company were used as collected from naturalistic driving measurements. Mobile phone use was defined as an indicator of risky behaviour and classification was performed on two levels of driving behaviour (risky and not risky). Variables related to travel speed were found to be the most significant independent variables, while according to the classification evaluation metrics, the most appropriate model was considered to be that of ‘Linear Discriminant Analysis’.

SHOW – 7th Newsletter, May 2023 The Horizon 2020 research project SHOW (SHared automation Operating models for Worldwide adoption) has recently released the SHOW 7th Newsletter. The Newsletter provides information on the latest outcomes of the project. The sites had the opportunity to present their achievements in a recent Review Meeting with the European Commission, where  the excellent work being done across the project, the results that are beginning to emerge, and of course, the challenges to overcome to allow the sites to fulfill their potential, were discussed. SHOW’s aim now is to enhance urban mobility and automation by understanding people’s needs.

Upcoming Events

PIARC – Webinars on Road Safety in LMICs, September 2023 The World Road Association – PIARC is organising two webinars which will be held online on 5 and 15 September 2023. The topics of the Webinars will be: Infrastructure, Tunnels, Speed, Data and Management, Behaviour, VRUs, Vehicles. The webinars will provide solutions and recommendations to build road safety expertise in all countries with focus on Low and Middle Income Countries, in order to adopt effectively the Safe System Approach and reduce fatal and serious crashes on road network.  Registration is open.

ICTR2023 – 11th International Congress on Transportation Research, Heraklion, September 2023 The Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers (HITE) and the Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT/CERTH) are co-organizing  the 11th International Congress on Transportation Research (ICTR 2023), which will be held on 20-22 September 2023, Heraklion, Greece. The spotlight theme of the 2023 Congress will be "Clean and Accessible to All Multimodal Transport". Special focus will be given to innovative research and technological developments for clean and accessible multimodal transportation in Greece and worldwide. In this context, eight parallel workshops will take place, providing sustainable, safe and inclusive transport solutions for meeting the needs of people and ensuring efficient transportation both within and between cities.

PIARC – XXVIIth World Road Congress, Prague, October 2023 The World Road Association (PIARC)  is organising the XXVIIth World Road Congress, which will be held on 2-6 October 2023, in Prague. The theme of the congress is "Together on the road again" and will provide a unique opportunity to discuss in depth all subjects related to road infrastructures and road transport. The program includes ministerial sessions, 60 technical sessions covering all key aspects and topics of road infrastructure, valuable poster sessions, various specialised workshops, foresight sessions and much more.

Transport Research Arena (TRA), Dublin, April 2024 The European Commission and the An Roinn Iompair (ARI) together with the European Transport Research Platforms ACARE, ALICE, CEDR, ECTP, ERRAC, ERTRAC, ETRA and Waterborne will organise the Transport Research Arena Conference (TRA2024) which will take place in Dublin, on 15-18 April 2024. The pillars of the Conference will be the safe & inclusive transport, the sustainable mobility of people and goods, the efficient & resilient systems and the collaborative digitalisation regarding the European Transport Research and Innovation and the cooperation of Europe with other continents.