Czech Republic

Drivers encounter dangerous situations on the roads daily, arising from aggressive driving behavior. The project DriveArse (Czech: Nenechte se rozladit - Řitiči) indirectly built upon findings from the project Aggression Kills (Agresivita zabíjí by ČAP, BESIP) and systematically used them to create a positive solution in situations where a road user is confronted with aggression behind the wheel.

Previous research (Aggression Kills, ČAP, BESIP) indicate that aggressive driving causes up to 40% of fatal traffic accidents. Aggressive driving is dangerous not only for the drivers themselves but also for those around them. 7 out of 10 drivers admit that they are provoked into aggressive driving and change their own driving style. This is linked to the belief of 88% of Czech drivers in the increasing aggression behind the wheel. Almost 60% of drivers under 30 sometimes intentionally do not maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of them, and 20% of them purposely speed up when another car is trying to overtake them. At the same time, 87% of drivers are motivated by the considerate driving of others.

In the case of aggression behind the wheel, the current legislative support in the Czech Republic is rather general and does not contain precise definitions of aggressive behavior behind the wheel, its specific manifestations, or the exact penalties that may be imposed. The DriveArse campaign was therefore carried out together with the efforts of Platforma VIZE 0 for legislative changes, using experiences from selected EU countries where legislation defines what precisely aggression is and imposes specific sanctions.

This project comes up with a positive attitude and wit as a tool to deal with unpleasant situations on the road, while also functioning as a creative research. It presents manifestations of aggression through caricatures of aggressive drivers with creative names. In this way, it helps road users to recognise and name aggressive drivers, as well as not to be provoked by such aggressive drivers and to handle the situation with humour (for example with a rhyme or a funny remark).

In-depth accidents analysis is a unique research activity conducted by Transport Research Centre (CDV). Data from In-depth Accident Analysis provide a comprehensive view of all the factors related to a particular accident and serve to identify the characteristics leading to the crash occurrence and how they affect its consequences.
In – depth Road Accident Analysis includes following research areas:
-transport infrastructure,
-vehicle design and construction,
-human factor and psychology
-medical research.
Our activities are realized in long-term horizon and all the research is subjected to strict conditions, including personal data protection.

We conduct traffic accident research within the National Centre of Czech In-Depth Accidents Analysis (CzIDAS). One of its aims is cooperation with entities that could further use the results of research, for example road owners or administrators, vehicle designers and also researchers etc.
The CzIDAS data is used for various purposes and helps to face current road safety challenges:
- Due to its comprehensiveness, Czech in-depth crash analysis is one of the most effective tools for targeted and comprehensive decision-making on measures related to road safety and the establishment of the National Road Safety Strategy and other government documents related to road safety.
 CzIDAS is a source of unique information for targeting preventive information campaigns. The use of in-depth data allows us to influence road users using real crash scenarios with their consequences and highlights specific risky behavior.
 the database creates also a unique framework for a number of educational activities, e.g. Education on children's traffic behavior in the form of LARP, methodology for teachers of traffic education, Seniors in road traffic, e-TESTs and teaching and training methodology for the initial education of examiners and for subsequent periodic education of examiners,
 The activity contributes to the creation of safe road infrastructure (infrastructure adjustments based on the measures as a result of in-depth crash analysis).
 The project serves and has the potential to serve as a unique source of data and knowledge for further research in this area, including autonomous control systems. Data was used eg. for the development of a specific technical element of passive safety to protect the cervical spine, the development of an element of active vehicle safety to mitigate the effect of primary contact between pedestrian and vehicle, etc.).
 The data also serves fo validation of models used for accident analysis or creation of knowledge-based database for forensic experts,.
 Traffic crashes, however, result not only in physical but also the psychical health damage and serious social consequences. Every road traffic accident has the potential to be a traumatic event and may result in significant disruption to the psychological integrity of the people involved. The impact of a road traffic accident can adversely affect the quality of mental and physical health and subsequently interfere with many areas of one's social life. The contribution of the project could be seen also in psychological assistance to the traffic accident victims at the scene of the traffic accident.

In an effort to achieve a permanent reduction in the number and consequences of traffic accidents, there are situations where it is not possible to further decrease the numbers, but the numbers of accidents and their consequences fluctuate around a certain constant. A strategy was developed due to better identification of the weak points in the transportation system of the Zlín Region. This strategy has become the key document of the region in the field of road safety, providing conceptual and planning guidelines for reducing the number and consequences of traffic accidents on roads in the Zlín Region. The strategic goal is to achieve halving the number of fatalities and severely injured persons in traffic accidents on roads by 2030, which means a 50% reduction compared to the average for the years 2017-2019. These goals are based on international commitments of the Czech Republic. The consistent implementation of traffic measures outlined in the action plan is determinative for achieving the strategic goals of the strategy.

The Action plan is divided into four pillars:
1. Road users
2. Infrastructure
3. Vehicle and technology
4. Coordination of the traffic safety (BESIP )

The action plan includes defined specific goals, concrete measures, and responsibility for implementing each traffic measure. The activities are complemented by financial requirements and completion deadlines. Within the action plan, there are implemented a several measures and activities such as reducing vehicle speed, eliminating traffic accidents and their locations, promoting advanced technologies, and informing the public about traffic safety activities.
During the development of the strategy, socio-economic characteristics of the region, budget, key conceptual documents, and alignment with the new national BESIP Strategy 2021-2030 were considered. The strategy was developed in line with other conceptual documents in the field of transportation in the Zlín Region, with the aim of establishing a unified concept for addressing road traffic safety in the region.

The long-term project aims to improve road safety in urban areas across the Czech Republic. It focuses on assessing the severity of traffic accidents, with an emphasis on vulnerable road users. The target audience primarily includes the general public, local government representatives, regional authorities, and the Ministry of Transport

Young drivers are among the most dangerous group of road users. On Czech roads, drivers under the age of 24 cause every 10th accident and are responsible for every 6th dead or seriously injured. The most common reason is fast driving. Alcohol and drugs also have a great influence on their accidents. Young motorists often take unnecessary risks, look for adrenaline situations, overestimate their abilities, but they cannot react to danger.

Seniors, or people aged 65+, account for 18% of the European Union’s population. Because of long-term low birth rate, ageing baby boomers and prolonging the average life expectancy, their share will increase to 24% by 2030 and to 28% by 2050. This is also connected to an expected increase in share of seniors in the total number of road accident victims. While it is currently 28%, it can raise to 33% by 2050. This problem also affects the Czech Republic. By the end of 2015, the share of seniors in the total population of the Czech Republic was about 18%, by the end of 2021 it was already 21%, by 2030 it will be 24% and by 2050 a whole third. The share of seniors in the total number of accident victims is growing in the same trend. In 2011, it was 16%; in 2021, it was 26%. Similarly, the proportion of severely injured seniors has increased from 14 to 18% over the last ten years. In the future, it can be expected that the proportion of seniors in the total number of accident victims will continue to increase.
Within the European Union, seniors are the second most vulnerable group of road users, in close pursuit of the 18- to 24-year-olds. Statistical data clearly shows that young people aged 18 to 24 account for 7% of the total population of the European Union, but their share of the total number of accident victims is 12%. The second most vulnerable group of road users are the elderly. Their share of the total population is 18%, but they account for 28% of accident victims. In contrast, adults aged 25 to 49 make up 35% of the European population and account for 36% of accident victims. Roads are safest for children under the age of 15. They account for one-sixth of the total population, and only 3% of the total number of people killed because of a traffic accident.

What is the cause of tragic accidents among seniors? The elderly people are threatened by their increased physical vulnerability as well as gradual decline of their mental and physical abilities. In the final consequence, with increasing age the risk that an injury sustained in an accident will be fatal increases. When the same force is applied, people over the age of 75 are three times more likely to suffer a fatal injury than 18-year-olds. Seniors are more vulnerable than cyclists and are significantly less vulnerable when transported by car. In general, people over the age of 65 are twice as exposed to the risk of death in a traffic accident, and the risk increases significantly from the age of 75 when the risk is more than 16 times higher. However, it is worth remembering that current mental and physical fitness are very individual matters.

Individual countries are trying to improve the safety of seniors on the roads by making adequate adjustments to the transport infrastructure, and cars are then equipped with sophisticated assistance systems. Unfortunately, there is a lack of comprehensive, high-quality, nationwide educational programs on how to behave in road traffic, specially designed for seniors. Our long-term national educational program, introduced already in 2018, can rightly be considered unique worldwide.