Promoting road safety

Popularizing road safety policies

Description

Promoting road safety involves implementing and enforcing measures to reduce traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Core actions include improving road infrastructure, enforcing traffic laws, enhancing driver education, and promoting the use of safety equipment such as seat belts and helmets. This strategy addresses issues such as reckless driving, inadequate signage, and poor vehicle maintenance, aiming to create safer travel environments for all road users and minimize preventable harm.

Context

Amongst OECD countries in 1989, there were large variations between countries regarding road safety. For instance, deaths per 10 million vehicles are in a ratio of 1 to 4 (Sweden 2,087 vs Portugal 8.616) and deaths per 100 million motor vehicle kilometres in a ratio of 1 to 7 (UK 13 vs Spain 88). Portugal had the highest death rate per 100,000 population and Norway the lowest (31.5 compared with 9.0). Specific factors such as population density, condition of the road network, topography, climate, local style of driving explain part of such differences but another part stems from differences in the seriousness with which individual countries treat road accidents. If all European countries reached the present highest levels of road safety a reduction of approximately 30% in the number of deaths on the road could be achieved.