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Road accidents, Europe still grappling with the issue
Editorial Staff
Every week 500 people die on the streets of the old continent. These are the data contained in the last ETSC report released in our country.
Increase road safety and reduce accidents. Last May, the European Commission published a new action plan on this matter with the aim of halving, by 2030, both the number of road victims and the number of people suffering serious injuries. This objective stems from the need to exceed the limit set for 2020 (minus 50 percent). A target that, given the data published in the latest Etsc report - European Road Safety Council – EU Member States will hardly be able to achieve. In fact, every week 500 people die on European roads. Looking at 2017 as a whole, we notice that in Europe accident victims were 25,250 a timid 2% reduction over the previous year. To achieve the Community target of halving the death toll, an average decrease of 6.7 percent of fatal accidents per year was required. This reduction, however, has not taken place, and now, if the target is to be reached, the number of deaths on European roads should be reduced by 14.5 percent each year between 2018 and 2020. However, the time is running out and it seems highly unlikely that the set target will be reached.
As a result the deadline has been moved to 2030. Brussels has set out to intensify safety and prevention campaigns in Member States. And in doing so, a series of proposals on road transport were included in the so-called "Third mobility package". These include new vehicle safety standards, updated rules on road management and a dedicated policy for automated driving. In its proposal, the Commission has indicated a set of models and scenarios that, if complied with, could prevent as much as over 2 thousand fatal accidents each year. It is now up to each Member State within the EU and the European Parliament to lend their support to these measures.
Still according to the ETSC’s report, out the 32 countries monitored within the Road Safety Performance Index, the best results in terms of reducing fatal accident were achieved by Estonia, with a decrease of 32 percent, followed by Luxembourg with 22 percent, Norway with 21 percent and Slovenia with 20 percent. Italy’s performance in this regard is far from flattering (ETSC data were published by Aci – Italian Automobile Club), with a 1.6 percent increase in 2017.
As a result the deadline has been moved to 2030. Brussels has set out to intensify safety and prevention campaigns in Member States. And in doing so, a series of proposals on road transport were included in the so-called "Third mobility package". These include new vehicle safety standards, updated rules on road management and a dedicated policy for automated driving. In its proposal, the Commission has indicated a set of models and scenarios that, if complied with, could prevent as much as over 2 thousand fatal accidents each year. It is now up to each Member State within the EU and the European Parliament to lend their support to these measures.
Still according to the ETSC’s report, out the 32 countries monitored within the Road Safety Performance Index, the best results in terms of reducing fatal accident were achieved by Estonia, with a decrease of 32 percent, followed by Luxembourg with 22 percent, Norway with 21 percent and Slovenia with 20 percent. Italy’s performance in this regard is far from flattering (ETSC data were published by Aci – Italian Automobile Club), with a 1.6 percent increase in 2017.
