This year's winners demonstrate a shared commitment to safer roads for all, from the safety of pedestrians and cyclists to intelligent traffic systems and advanced education for children.
The 2024 Excellence in Road Safety Awards recognise the outstanding contributions of our members to road safety striving for vision zero across Europe. This year, we celebrated five award categories spotlighting innovative solutions and dedicated initiatives in:
- Education
- Motorcycling
- Pedestrians and cyclists
- Technology and innovation
- Urban
This year’s winners:
- LEARN! Leveraging Education to Advance Road Safety Now! (Europe) – for its efforts to enhance traffic safety and mobility education throughout Europe
- KFV (Austria) - Special road markings on bends – for reducing risky evasive manoeuvres and loss of motorcycle control on bends
- Axencia Galega de Infraestruturas (Spain) - Alternative mobility strategy in Galicia – for their focus on creating pedestrian and cycling paths on routes connecting interurban areas
- Center for Traffic Management Bavaria (Germany) - Traffic lights of the future – for their various intelligent systems to test the safe and optimised management of traffic and handling of the different road users
- Commune di Bologna (Italy) - Bologna City 30: more safety and more space for people – for their City 30 initiative, focussing on low speed zones, investing in new pedestrian areas and cycle paths, launching public communication campaigns and increasing police patrols
Platforma VIZE 0 was chosen by the audience at the awards ceremony (Thursday 14 November 2024) to receive the People’s Choice Award. Their awareness campaign about aggressive drivers was innovative and eye catching - delivering great results and safer roads. Find out more here
Education
LEARN! Leveraging Education to Advance Road Safety Now!
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) recognised that road safety education for children varies widely across Europe, lacking a unified methodology and platform for sharing best practices. The LEARN! project aims to standardise and enhance traffic safety education throughout Europe.
To achieve this, the project creates and shares reports that offer recommendations, guidance, resources, and inspiration for road safety education professionals. Policy recommendations are also provided for decision-makers. Key publications, the LEARN! Key Principles and LEARN! Manual, were developed with expert input. The LEARN! Flash series offers shorter reports on specific traffic safety topics, and since 2019, the project has hosted the annual European Traffic Education Seminar.
LEARN! materials have supported national learning goals, promoting a cohesive approach to road safety education across Europe.
To learn more about this project, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Motorcycling
Special road markings on bends
KFV (Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit, Austrian Road Safety Board) highlighted that research shows that motorcyclists often ride too close to the centre line on left-hand bends with limited visibility, increasing the risk of sudden evasive actions and loss of control. This project aims to mitigate such risks by adding W-shaped road markings beside the centre line, encouraging riders to keep their heads safely within their lane. This self-explanatory, user-friendly measure has proven highly effective, achieving an 80% reduction in injury-related crashes and is adaptable to various road conditions.
To learn more about this project, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Pedestrians and cyclists
Alternative mobility strategy in Galicia
Recognising the need for safer routes, Axencia Galega de Infraestruturas noted that many interurban routes leading to schools, health centres, and public facilities were primarily designed for motorised traffic, posing challenges for vulnerable road users. In response, they developed pedestrian and cycling paths along these routes, ensuring safe, independent travel without motorised traffic. Since 2014, over 280 km of these paths have been built, backed by a 143.4 million euro investment, resulting in zero accidents involving vulnerable users and increased pedestrian and cyclist presence.
To learn more about this project, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Technology and innovation
Traffic lights of the future
Center for Traffic Management Bavaria observed that vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists face considerable safety challenges at intersections and crossings due to insufficient markings, traffic light issues, and lack of pedestrian priority. To improve safety, Bavaria has implemented intelligent systems in traffic lights, including emergency vehicle prioritisation, collision warnings, pedestrian green time requests, and cyclist priority features like an intelligent bicycle totem. These innovations benefit larger groups, schoolchildren, wheelchair users, and elderly pedestrians.
To learn more about this project, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Urban
Bologna City 30: more safety and more space for people
Commune di Bologna acknowledged that in Italy, 73% of crashes occur on urban roads, with Bologna experiencing the third-highest road death rate among major cities. The City 30 initiative tackles this by setting 70% of the city as a 30 km/h zone, investing €24 million in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, launching awareness campaigns and an ambassador programme, and increasing police patrols for law enforcement. Nearly 20,000 residents shared feedback, and online engagement was high. Early 2024 data shows promising results, with a 14.5% drop in crashes and a 12.6% drop in injuries.
To learn more about this project, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Inspired by these initiatives and want to help make European roads safer? Join our community of diverse members today here
Missed the ceremony then watch below...
