DEKRA presents 2022 Road Safety Report in Brussels
Commissioner Valean: “Use all measures in the road safety toolbox”
EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean advocates a multifaceted approach in the effort to improve road safety, especially that of young people. “To halve fatalities and serious injuries by 2030, we need to use all measures in the road safety toolbox – training and education, enforcement of existing rules, and, increasingly, technological advances”, the Commissioner said at the presentation of the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2022 “Mobility of Young People” in Brussels. “Doing so can save lives, including those of young people, whose fatality rate for road deaths is disproportionately high.”
- For young drivers: education, enforcement, technological progress
- Young people have significantly higher accident risk
- Technical condition of vehicles remains important issue
To demonstrate how important it is for vehicles to also be in good technical condition, DEKRA conducted several driving tests at its Technology Center at the DEKRA Lausitzring. These again showed that stable contact between tires and road surface in particular – regardless of weather and road surface condition – is essential. Because only then is it guaranteed that assistance systems such as ABS or ESP can also work effectively. Since many young drivers very often drive older vehicles, primarily for financial reasons, periodic vehicle inspection thus remains a very central element for road safety. “The consequence of aging, wear and tear, often a lack of awareness of technical defects, and saving money on repairs and maintenance is: older passenger cars tend to have significant defects much more frequently and thus pose a greater risk of accidents than younger vehicles”, Fehlauer indicated presenting the report.
- Particularly dangerous behaviors such as alcohol and drugs at the wheel, distraction by smartphones, for example, or excessive speeding must be consistently monitored and penalized.
- An absolute ban on drinking and driving should apply everywhere for novice drivers. Experience in various countries, including Germany, proves its effectiveness.
- The spread and use of feedback systems, telematics-based for example, should be increased.
- Young male novice drivers pose a far above-average risk to themselves and others. This group must be given special attention in road safety work – even before the start of driver training.
- The multi-stage acquisition of the driving license has proven itself in many places and should therefore be introduced in more countries.
- Only a transparent, standardized, and high-quality theoretical and practical test for obtaining a driver's license that is independent of driving schools can ensure the necessary quality standard in driver training.
- The use of driver assistance systems and automated driving functions should already be taught during driver training, but the limits of these systems should also be made clear. Ideally, the safe use of these systems should also become part of the driving test.
- Practical driving training should be designed as comprehensively as possible regarding road characteristics (inner-city, narrow rural roads, highway) and lighting conditions (night driving) in all countries.
- Since many young people have fatal accidents on rural roads, the primary goal in new construction or road design changes must be self-explanatory roads with forgiving side space design.
- The functionality of mechanical and electronic components of vehicle safety systems must be guaranteed over the entire life of the vehicle. The content of periodical vehicle inspection must be adjusted accordingly on a regular basis.