The number of road traffic casualties has been decreasing during the last decades in many European countries, including the Netherlands. However, the speed at which the numbers are decreasing is probably insufficient to achieve the European Commission's target of 50% less road deaths in 2010 than in 2000. If the impressive decrease in the Netherlands since 2000 continues to 2010, this country with be an exception. This is a result of a comparative study that SWOV carried out together with eight other research institutes in Europe, which was called SUNflower+6. The report of this study was presented to the Dutch Minister of Transport Ms. Peijs by SWOV director Fred Wegman at the 14th National Road Safety Congress on 25th April.
SWOV, together with research institutes from eight other European countries, compared the road safety of nine European countries. This study is known as SUNflower+6. Its purpose was to develop a method of comparison that could be applied in many countries. This method provides each country with insight into which measures have been effective, and have thus contributed to greater road safety. The analyses resulted in a number of recommendations for further improvements. Besides the Netherlands, the following countries took part: Sweden and the United Kingdom (the S and U from the original three SUNflower countries in which the N was the Netherlands), Czechia, Hungary, Slovenia, Greece, Portugal, and Spain – and additional the autonomous region of Catalonia.
Dutch success factor
Together with Sweden and the United Kingdom, the Netherlands is one of the safest countries in the world. Research has shown that the road safety developments in the Netherlands during the 1983-2000 period are positive. This position at the top is due to various measures taken to tackle drink driving, speeding offences, seatbelt use, and adaptations to the infrastructure. Fixing a quantitative target has also stimulated greater safety.
European targets
There has been a decrease in the number of road deaths in all nine member states in this study. However, the decrease in these countries is insufficient to reach the target of 50% less road deaths in 2010. This confirms previous studies. It is still not clear whether the encouraging reduction in 2004 in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom can be maintained for a longer period. The contributions to the EU target of the three Central European counties of Czechia, Hungary, and Slovenia is also unsure and possibly limited. More needs to be done in the three Southern Europe countries of Greece, Portugal, and Spain to maintain their current improvements.
Recommendations for the Netherlands
The report makes recommendations for improving road safety further in the countries involved. For the Netherlands the recommendations are:
- continue the policy of 30 km/hour zones and continue the construction of bicycle facilities, and strive for qualitative improvements;
- reduce the driving speeds of motorized traffic at locations where they use the same road as pedestrians and cyclists, especially at crossroads;
- pay more attention to the relatively high crash rates of mopedists, in particular the 16 and 17 year olds;
- search for possibilities of increasing the driving experience of young motorists before they take their driving exam, e.g. by introducing types of accompanied driving;
- improve the safety of 80 km/hour roads;
- achieve a better harmony between the road layout and speed limits;
- pay more attention to extreme speeding offenders and recidivists and reconsider enforcement policy on this topic.
Efforts in Europe must be increased
In the report, the research institutes also make recommendations to the European Commission about taking measures to increase Europe's road safety and contribute towards achieving the EU target. These recommendations to the EU are, among others:
- take more initiatives to improve the safety of young, novice motorists;
- invest more in the safety of motorized two-wheelers;
give a higher international priority to improving the vehicle safety of motorcycles and mopeds;
- create a separate infrastructure for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists;
- take more measures to improve the safety of roadworks being carried out;
- introduce, EU-wide, promising measures such as an alcolock, a seatbelt lock, and speed limiters;
- stimulate cooperation between national and local governments, and involve the citizens more;
- improve the availability of reliable and comparable road safety data.
Presentation
During the 14th National Road Safety Congress on 25th April 2006, Fred Wegman presented the Dutch Minister of Transport Ms. Peijs with the first copy of this international report. On 27th April, the research team will present the report to the European Commission. The SUNflower project has been conducted with financial support of the European Commission.
The final report is available via the SWOV website www.swov.nl (at Meerjaren-programma/ Internationaal Onderzoek/ SUNflower+6).
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