Press and Policy Maker Dinner Denate Policy Drivers for Change: Meeting Europe’s Road Safety Challenge Wednesday, March 8, 2006 La Bibliothèque Solvay
“We can reach the EU target for cutting road deaths. It will be difficult, and will require effort. But I believe it can be achieved” Günter Breyer
The Commission’s mid-term review of the EU Road Safety Action Plan is due to target a halving of road accident fatalities in the EU-25 by 2010. Although it is clearly a daunting challenge, it could be achieved if the Union as a whole were to introduce road safety improvements akin to those already accomplished by the UK and Sweden. What can policymakers do to include a greater road safety dimension in Europe's "culture of mobility?" With two-thirds of all fatal traffic accidents occurring in towns, what should urban authorities be doing to make their roads safer? And what contribution should automotive producers be making in the form of more advanced safety technologies? Given that the economic cost to the EU of road deaths averages 2% of GNP, what levels of investment in greater safety would be appropriate? Featuring: Günter Breyer, Deputy Road Director, Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innnovation and Technology Zoltan Kazatsay, EC Deputy Director General for Energy & Transport Kazuhiko Miyadera, Executive Vice President R&D, Toyota Motor Europe