Ramsauer presents "2011 Road Safety Programme"

Accident site with warning triangle (Source: German Road Safety Council, Bonn)

date of issue

2011.11.10

serial number

222/2011

In Berlin today, the Federal Minister of Transport, Peter Ramsauer, presented the "2011 Road Safety Programme". This programme consolidates, for the first time, all ongoing and future measures to enhance safety on German roads.

Ramsauer:

"Every road casualty is one casualty too many. Road safety activities are a challenge for society as a whole. All stakeholders have to play their part. This applies to the Federal Government, the federal states and local authorities as well as to institutions, associations and initiatives. They are indispensable partners for further improving safety on our roads and consolidating our leading position in Europe."

The objective of the "2011 Road Safety Programme" is to reduce the number of fatalities in Germany by 40 percent by 2020. The number of seriously and critically injured casualties is also to be significantly reduced. The programme comprises three action areas: "human factors", "infrastructure" and "automotive engineering".

The focus of the "human factors" action area is the protection of vulnerable road users, especially children, cyclists, novice drivers and elderly people. Thus, for instance, the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development is campaigning to ensure that children are correctly restrained in cars and is encouraging older people to have voluntary health check-ups. The number of pedal cyclists wearing a helmet is to be significantly increased. In addition, the safety of novice drivers is to be improved. The key concern in the "infrastructure" action field is the improvement of safety on rural roads. These roads account for the largest proportion (60%) of transport fatalities. Additional overtaking lanes or safety systems are to prevent accidents. For instance, rumble strips on motorways are to prevent vehicles from veering off the carriageway. A pilot project is being conducted to combat wrong-way driving, involving the installation of warning signs on entry slip roads. In the "automotive engineering" action area, the focus is on exploiting and progressing the technological potential, while simultaneously eliminating possible risks. Thus, for instance, greater use is to be made of driver assistance or vehicle communications systems.