The EU, and its Member States, agreed a target to cut road deaths by half in the decade to 2020. With one year left until full data for 2020 are available, that target will almost certainly be missed. Although most European countries have achieved a reduction in road deaths relative to 2010, the decline has not been large enough. After promising results in the 90’s and 00’s thanks to the Sustainable Safety safe system approach, the Netherlands now show an increase of 3% in the number of road deaths and an increase of 14% in the number of serious road injuries.
Letty Aarts: “Although the trend in road deaths in the Netherlands showed a rapid decline between the ‘70s and 2010, since 2010 that decline has stagnated. The government took action and in 2018 a new strategic plan and the third edition of the Sustainable Safety vision were launched, together with an ambition to aim for zero casualties. Today, the authorities in the Netherlands are building on a new, risk-based approach to work towards this ambition and to give renewed impetus to the organisation of road safety management. Safety Performance Indicators are key, as are investments. The government has taken a step by providing €0.5 billion of co- funding for effective infrastructural measures over the coming 10 years. Some other effective measures – such as the bicycle helmet - are not believed to be broadly supported by the public. However, if we don’t succeed in giving new impetus to such effective road safety measures, road casualty numbers in the Netherlands might not go down much further.”
More can be found in the ETSC PIN annual report published on June 17.
