Opinion: An opportunity for the EU to show it can have a positive impact on all our lives

Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director, ETSC

Amidst the screaming headlines surrounding the possibility of an outbreak of Ebola in Europe over the last few weeks, I can’t help but question our society’s perception of risk. Less than a handful of people have died from Ebola in Europe and those that tragically have were all medical staff in direct contact with sufferers. The WHO maintains that a major outbreak in Western Europe is ‘unlikely’.

But every week in Europe, on average, 500 people die on our roads. Since 2001, more than half a million have lost their lives. And yet, the political response to the daily tragedy of those killed by speeding or drunk drivers is very often lacklustre, to put it mildly. Read more

EU member state backing for cross-border road safety enforcement welcomed

Road safety campaigners and European traffic police have welcomed the agreement, in a meeting of EU transport ministers earlier this month, to back a change to rules on cross-border enforcement of traffic offences such as speeding. See press release and FAQ
 

Belgian government backing for ISA

The newly-formed Belgian federal government has said it will support the development of road safety technologies including Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) and put in place the necessary legal framework for their introduction as part of its legislative programme. Read more...
 

Two-thirds back ISA for professional vehicles

Two thirds of British adults are in favour of mandatory speed controlling technology on commercial and public transport vehicles, a poll commissioned by Living Streets, a UK charity, has revealed. Read more...
 

First section control trial in Germany 

The government of Lower Saxony has announced that it will host Germany’s first trial of average speed checks, also known as ‘section control’. The decision by Germany’s second largest state has been welcomed by the German Road Safety Council (DVR). Read more...
 

Belgian region to triple section controls as poll shows public support

70% of Belgian road users are in favour of an increase in the number of average speed checks on motorways according to a poll by the motoring organisation VAB.  The results were timely as Belgium’s northern region Flanders is set to triple the number of such controls from next year. Read more...
 

Irish safety camera programme saves 71 lives in three years

Safety cameras on Irish roads have saved 71 lives over the past three years, according to research by the Irish government. Read more...
 

Netherlands cracks down on young speeders

Novice drivers who are caught speeding or driving recklessly within five years of obtaining their license will be temporarily banned from driving and sent for a new driving test after just two penalty points, down from three. Read more...
 

Call for more out-of-town speed checks in Switzerland

ETSC’s Swiss member BFU has called for an increase in the number of speed controls outside of urban areas, pointing to 2013 statistics that showed 52% of speeding-related serious injuries and deaths occurred on inter-urban roads where only 4% of speed checks were currently being carried out.  Read more...
 

Enforcement marathon yields increase in German speeders

The second annual nationwide speed enforcement marathon in Germany registered 93,000 speed violations in 24 hours. Of the more than three million motorists checked, approximately three percent were going too fast according to figures released by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of the Interior last month. Read more...