More needs to be done to abate the carnage on Europe’s roads is the stark message delivered by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
The reduction of deaths and serious injuries is the FIA’s first road safety priority. In the light of the results of the European Commission’s mid-term review of the Road Safety Action Programme it is clear that a significant increase in road safety efforts is necessary to meet the objective of halving the annual number of road fatalities.
As the voice of Europe’s motoring consumers, representing over forty million motorists in Europe, the FIA welcomes the publication of the mid-term review and calls upon the European Commission to come forward as soon as possible with legislative proposals particularly on daytime running lights and road infrastructure safety.
Safer Road Infrastructure Road safety makes requirements of the driver, the vehicle and the road environment. Traditionally much emphasis has been placed on drivers and their cars. As a result the car industry is making positive strides in improving vehicle passenger safety and pedestrian safety and drivers have to demonstrate higher levels of competence to obtain their licence. However, much more could be done to improve the road environment by the road infrastructure providers. Research carried out by the European Road Assessment Programme EuroRAP clearly shows that when a road is “self explanatory” and “forgiving” the potential for reducing death and serious injury is tremendous. The FIA therefore urges the Commission to come forward with its long awaited legislative proposal on road infrastructure safety.
Consumer testing and benchmarking programmes either set up and run by FIA clubs in the EU or actively participated in such as EuroTest, the European Tunnel Assessment Programme EuroTAP, EuroRAP, the European New Car Assessment Programme Euro NCAP and the New Programme for the Assessment of Child restraint Systems NPACS provide an efficient means of raising consumers awareness to the quality and safety of Europe’s mobility infrastructure and related products and services. With regard to infrastructure EuroTAP is a model that could be applied to the open roads. Following the adoption of the Directive on minimum safety standards in tunnels EuroTAP is benchmarking the quality and safety of major road tunnels in Europe and providing road users with information about them and also how to behave correctly in any given tunnel under various circumstances. Co-funded by the European Commission EuroTAP is a good model of the legislature working with citizens to improve road safety. The FIA believes a similar partnership could be forged with EuroRAP. This programme has partners in almost 20 countries is examining the significant potential for reducing road deaths and serious injuries to be achieved as a result of improving road design and the road environment.
The FIA believes that road users have the right to see their road taxes re-invested in safe road infrastructure. EU funding of the Trans-European Road Network should be conditioned to guarantee delivery of safe roads. The statistics show that whereas Western Europe has seen a decrease in road deaths of 7.3% Eastern Europe has experience and increase of 1.9% . Essentially traffic growth has not been matched by a corresponding expansion of the road network nor upgrading of the quality of the infrastructure. Road networks must be extended, upgraded and made safer, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe, if the result is not to be a growth in deaths and serious injuries as traffic growth increases.
Safer Vehicles In the field of vehicle safety, the FIA believes that the large scale deployment of daytime running lights and the EU-harmonised rules that should be proposed for their use can only benefit road safety generally.
Ten years of Euro NCAP has significantly increased in-vehicle passenger safety for occupants and far more rapidly than could have ever been achieved by legislation. Similar achievements are possible in the field of active safety – the next logical step. The FIA would call on the Commission to work with Euro NCAP to promote the introduction of active safety devices such as ESP as a standard in all passenger vehicles and not just luxury cars.
Compatibility is recognised as an important factor in real life car to car collisions. Big differences in vehicle mass in connection with crush zone stiffness and stiffness distribution are assumed to be the influencing factors causing incompatibility between cars. The FIA would welcome the implementation of compatibility requirements for cars in the EU legislation.
Restraint systems in cars are one of the most effective safety devices in cars. Restraints to protect children are even more important. The New Programme for the Assessment of Child restraint Systems NPACS intends to accomplish benefits for the enhanced safety of child restraint systems, leading to their improved performance and ease of use and fitment into a range of vehicles. The NPACS research programme (phase I), finalised in December 2005, was carried out by a European consortium and funded by national governments, FIA motoring clubs, the insurance industry, consumer groups, the FIA Foundation and the European Commission (DG TREN). Phase II will see the development of a Euro NCAP-like programme in 2006 with the establishment of a single well-founded assessment method.
Safer Drivers If road safety is to be improved it is evident that road users must also make their contribution. The awareness and responsibility of all road users need to be further promoted through education and information. Campaigns should encourage safe driving practices, and training programmes are needed to ensure life-long learning, targeting high risk groups in particular. Tougher penalties are seen to be effective among some groups in the short term in reducing dangerous driving but their long term effect is not clear. Even in France, young male drivers still figure significantly in road fatalities and serious injury statistics despite the introduction of tougher penalties. The FIA would call on the Commission to support and promote consumer campaigns to raise awareness on road safety issues (e.g. seat belt wearing, speeding and drinking and driving). Moreover the Commission should lend its support to the deployment of eSafety technologies.
Improved driver education can be achieved with the introduction of a second stage of driver training. Noting the success achieved in some Member States, the FIA would call on the Commission to draw on this experience to introduce advanced driver training Europe wide.
Recent surveys carried out by FIA clubs have shown that the lack of harmonisation of the Highway Code is not only confusing but can lead drivers create dangerous situations. The FIA would ask the Commission to use the mid-term review to act on two particular issues. Firstly, more efforts are required to harmonise road signing across the European Union and also provide citizens driving cross-border with easily accessible information about the differences in the meanings of the signs they will encounter in each EU Member state. Secondly, for the sake of citizens travelling across Europe, the FIA would ask the Commission to harmonize rules on the use of reflective jackets as they are increasingly being recommended or made compulsory in an increasing number of EU member states. Without the introduction of EU legislation in both of these instances, the motorist travelling through Europe is increasingly confronted with a plethora of practices and conflicting rules constituting a barrier to mobility and a threat to safety.
For more information please contact: FIA European Bureau Rue d’Arlon 53 B-1040 Bruxelles
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