European Road Safety Day

European Road Safety Day took place on 6th May and its theme this year was "pedestrian road safety".

Of the 30,000 people killed on European roads per year (28,000 in 2012), on average 21% are pedestrians, 7% are cyclists and 18% are riders of motorcycles and mopeds. Around 70% of the pedestrians who die are killed within urban areas.

There is cause for concern because, during the past ten years, the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents has not decreased to the same extent as the total number of road deaths. Almost half of all road deaths in urban areas involve a pedestrian or a cyclist.

Risks for pedestrians and cyclists in urban areas include the lack of separate lanes, high vehicle speed and unsafe road user behaviours. The responsibility is shared: pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers all must contribute to road safety by behaving responsibly and respectfully.

The European Commission is working on several measures specifically linked to the safety of vulnerable road users and urban area road safety. Among these measures are:

• The new proposed EU rules for the design of truck cabins, including an improved field of vision for the driver, a deflecting shape and a crumple zone in the front of the cabin, which will help to save the lives of 300 to 500 vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists every year.
• The up-coming Urban Mobility Package with provisions for planning safe and sustainable urban transport.
• Work on the further deployment of modern technologies and in-vehicle safety systems such as pedestrian detection/emergency braking systems.
• The new initiative on serious road traffic injuries.

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