Skip to main content

ETSC highlights European safety improvements

The European Transport Safety Commission’s (ETSC) 16th Road Safety Report measures progress made in EU countries since 2001 in tackling excessive speed, drink-driving and non-use of seat belts (the three biggest causes of road fatalities). It is published as the EU discusses priorities for the forthcoming Road Safety Action Programme for the next ten years. Available data shows that drivers have slowed down since 2001. Best progress has been made on highways (only up to 30% of drivers now exceed the speed l
May 30, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 5801 European Transport Safety Commission’s (ETSC) 16th Road Safety Report measures progress made in 3287 EU countries since 2001 in tackling excessive speed, drink-driving and non-use of seat belts (the three biggest causes of road fatalities). It is published as the EU discusses priorities for the forthcoming Road Safety Action Programme for the next ten years.

Available data shows that drivers have slowed down since 2001. Best progress has been made on highways (only up to 30% of drivers now exceed the speed limit) but violations are still up to 70% on rural roads (as much as 80% on urban roads).

France is the only country to have achieved considerable reductions in mean speeds on all types of roads. Great Britain and Austria recorded reductions in mean speeds on both urban roads and highways.

Key factors in achieving progress were automated speed enforcement schemes based on safety cameras and stricter sanctions through penalty point systems and higher fines.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Using ITS to maximise safety and traffic flow for cycling
    January 22, 2013
    Copenhagen, Denmark, has long been known as one of the world’s leading cities for cycling. In some areas of the city, the modal share of bikes has reached a level of as much as 50 %. And on some of the most frequently used bike paths the average daily number of cyclists is close to 30,000. As these numbers continue to rise, new ways of planning and implementing cycling infrastructure are needed. Increasingly, Danish traffic planners are turning to technology as a tool for planning cycling infrastructure. I
  • Vitronic’s 90 POLISCAN FM1 LIDAR for Maryland
    September 14, 2022
    Vitronic’s 90 POLISCAN FM1 systems offer both speed measurement and automatic license plate recognition in the US state of Maryland.
  • Nynas reorganisation complete
    December 9, 2020
    Nynas has completed its reorganisation work.
  • Florida red-light enforcement cameras proven to be effective
    April 26, 2012
    Recent results from the state of Florida cities of Pembroke Pines and Miami Gardens police departments show considerable decreases in crashes at intersections with safety cameras. For instance, in Miami Gardens, since the inception of the red-light safety camera programme, crashes have been reduced by 83 per cent at the 12 monitored intersections. Crash data from 2008 through October 2011 was closely examined and the city says it has achieved a steady reduction in collisions creating safer roads for the com