| Author (Person) | Chapman, Peter |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.36, 30.10.03, p21 |
| Publication Date | 30/10/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Peter Chapman Date: 30/10/03 THE EU has two targets for the year 2010. One, rolled out ad nauseam, yet widely regarded as laughable, is to make the Union the most dynamic knowledge- based economy. The other has barely been heard of, yet arguably, is infinitely more important. It is to cut in half - by the end of the decade - the EU's dreadful annual road death toll of 40,000. The road safety action plan bundles together a raft of policy initiatives to help bring this about. Road safety campaigners have criticized parts of the scheme - such as its relatively weak voluntary agreement with car firms to improve the design of vehicles to make them less dangerous. But, even if the so-called Lisbon agenda is expected to pay off in terms of wealth, income and jobs, these potential gains pale into insignificance when compared to the saving of human lives. The EU economy would also gain from lowering the wasteful culling of the Union's human potential. Last month, Erkki Liikanen, the commissioner for enterprise and the information society, joined forces with motor racing supremo Max Mosley. The pair announced efforts to help bring the benefits of the information society to car safety. Liikanen and Mosley, who also heads car-testing body the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP), said technology such as radar could help to prevent accidents. The technologies will link up over the airwaves to provide a vast array of information which will be used to assess potential hazards. Such 'active' systems contrast with so-called passive safety systems, which include airbags and safety belts. These seek to protect rather than prevent. Liikanen said the Commission would also push for a pan-EU emergency call system, that uses satellite location technology, to pinpoint the exact location of cars. Meanwhile, Mosley said EuroNCAP is working on a new testing system to rank cars' deployment of innovative safety methods - for example, their use of the Electronic Stabilization Programme (ESP) - technology that stops cars crashing into each other or hitting pedestrians. EuroNCAP currently scores cars on how well occupants and pedestrians fare in a variety of crash simulations. The tests are used by car companies such as Renault, which included results in advertisements for its latest Megane model. Last weekend, the Commission's attention switched from safer car design and smarter transport systems to alcohol - the scourge of accident and emergency departments in hospitals across the EU. The Commission joined forces with young peoples' groups in Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to organize “accident-free night”. Teams of volunteers scoured nightclubs and bars in the four countries to try to convince 18-25 year olds with cars to abstain from drinking for the evening. Schools and colleges were also part of the initiative. Youngsters agreeing to hold back were rewarded with a present. Those who failed to keep their promise by the end of the night were offered an alternative form of transport or a sober driver. Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio said the Commission is paying half the €240,000 cost of running a series of accident-free nights before the end of the year. She said: “Young people between the ages of 18-25 are the ones who come off worst in terms of road accidents. “European accident statistics clearly prove this, and the tragic accident in which five young people died in Riom in France plunging the town into mourning, is a painful illustration of this.”. De Palacio, added: “Saturday night fever can be fatal.” The European Commission's Road Safety Action Plan aims to cut in half, by 2010, the European Union's annual road death toll of 40,000. |
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| Subject Categories | Geography, Mobility and Transport |
