A German collision hotspot map system and a Slovenian grassroots campaign to raise awareness of safety lanes on motorways were among the winners of this year’s Excellence in Road Safety Awards.
The awards recognise the contributions of the European Road Safety Charter's community of members towards the common goal of improved road safety across Europe. The four winning initiatives are examples of where organisations have delivered specific and measurable road safety actions to the benefit of their communities.
The winners in the four categories – young people, technology, component of a safe system approach and professional drivers were:
- Preventiedienst stad Leuven (Belgium) for its VRKeer virtual reality initiative targeting young people.
- Initiative für sichere Straßen GmbH (Germany) for its EDDA+ Hazard Score Map project using multiple data sources to implement change and create safer roads.
- Zavod Reševalni pas (Slovenia) for its rescue belt campaign to raise awareness and change driver behaviour.
- Acciona Energía (Spain) for their Drive Safe Programme for their employees across multiple locations.
Initiative für sichere Straßen GmbH (Germany) was chosen by the audience at the awards ceremony this evening (17 October) to also receive the Jacques Barrot award. This special public choice prize has been awarded every year since 2016 to one of the winners and is dedicated to Jacques Barrot, a former European Commissioner for Transport.
Young people
Preventiedienst stad Leuven from Belgium set out to improve the knowledge and practical skills of children in and around traffic. The VRKeer game teaches children from ages 10 to 14 how to cycle safely in traffic using a virtual reality (VR) system. Monitored in real time by their teachers, the project targets seven different skills on three different levels. The students receive a personalised learning pathway that can be used to adapt the information to the strengths and weaknesses of individual pupils.
In 2022 – 2023 there will be approximately 7200 students using VRKeer, allowing them to confidently become a new generation of cyclists who will contribute to a sustainable school and living environment. If you’d like to know more, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Technology
Initiative für sichere Straßen GmbH from Germany has introduced the EDDA + Hazard score map which pioneers a new approach to using road safety data. This initiative detects potential dangers in road traffic at an early stage by combining existing safety-relevant data with multiple other data sources, such as citizen reports.
Through collaboration with various groups, such as parents’ initiatives and municipalities, some of these danger spots have already been eliminated by implementing safety measures. Many other stakeholders such as police departments and infrastructure companies can now use the map and scoring system and the analysis can help inform decision making to create safer roads. If you’d like to know more, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Component of a safe system approach
Zavod Reševalni pas from Slovenia was founded by a firefighter and paramedic who experienced first-hand the devastating impact traffic congestion can have on reaching road traffic victims. This initiative began by raising awareness and knowledge of the importance of creating a ‘rescue belt’ or ‘life lane’ to allow emergency vehicles through in congested areas. This campaign was developed with limited resources and has now reached over one million people on social media – over half of the population of Slovenia.
Zavod Reševalni pas has also recently been invited to the National Assembly where they assisted in creating a legal amendment supporting this action. Law enforcement officers have also started to hand out penalties in support of this act. If you’d like to know more, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Professional drivers
ACCIONA Energía from Spain committed to introducing its Drive Safe programme across their global organisation to reduce traffic incidents through driver training, vehicle equipment, and facility safety. Drivers receive both theoretical and practical training and the programme has reached over 1000 employees across Spain, Chile, and Mexico.
The company also make improvements to their vehicles by equipping them with, among other tools, sensors, and first-aid kits. There has been a strong involvement of managers in the programme at all levels, including the most senior managers, and it has resulted in an 86% reduction in crashes among employees. If you’d like to know more, watch the video below or click here for more information.
Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport “It’s time for road safety to go mainstream and I’m happy that I can count on the members of the European Road Safety Charter to be my allies on this path.”
Inspired by these initiatives and want to help make European roads safer? Join the Charter today.
