Monday 2 February 2004 - News - Road safety
Sign up to a new road safety charter
A new campaign has been
launched which aims to reduce the number of people killed on EU
roads by 50% by 2010.
The European Commission wants car manufacturers, transport companies, insurers and other organisations including schools and nightclubs, to sign up to the new Europe-wide safety charter.
The Commission said about 40,000 people were killed each year in road accidents in European Union states. This compared with about 100 a year in airline disasters. Among member countries, Greece and Portugal had the highest death tolls, at 180 and 163 respectively per million inhabitants in 2001. The lowest was the UK at 60 per million, said the Commission.
Commission vice-president Loyola de Palacio commented: "I would like to call on all stakeholders to join our efforts and contribute to saving 20 000 lives on European roads.
"Road safety is a shared responsibility. You can make a difference by signing the Charter and committing yourself to undertake, in your sphere of responsibility, concrete, measurable and monitorable measures."
The Commission said the main causes of road deaths were speeding, the failure to use seatbelts and drunk driving.
Angie Bell
The European Commission wants car manufacturers, transport companies, insurers and other organisations including schools and nightclubs, to sign up to the new Europe-wide safety charter.
The Commission said about 40,000 people were killed each year in road accidents in European Union states. This compared with about 100 a year in airline disasters. Among member countries, Greece and Portugal had the highest death tolls, at 180 and 163 respectively per million inhabitants in 2001. The lowest was the UK at 60 per million, said the Commission.
Commission vice-president Loyola de Palacio commented: "I would like to call on all stakeholders to join our efforts and contribute to saving 20 000 lives on European roads.
"Road safety is a shared responsibility. You can make a difference by signing the Charter and committing yourself to undertake, in your sphere of responsibility, concrete, measurable and monitorable measures."
The Commission said the main causes of road deaths were speeding, the failure to use seatbelts and drunk driving.
Angie Bell
