At the beginning of the summer, the European Commission made public some of the safety strategies that will be looked into for the decade 2021-2030. The main points of their road safety program have been outlined in a document called Road Safety Policy Framework, presented at the ETSC Road Safety Performance Index Conference in June.
Data collection is going to be the focus of the EC road safety plan for the decade 2012-2030. The EC has developed what looks like a comprehensive range of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to be measured for road safety, linked to outcome targets to be developed in collaboration with the member states.
The list of KPIs currently includes:
#1 - Speed: the idea is to collect with exactitude the percentage of vehicles travelling within the speed limit;
#2 - Safety belt: collecting the number of vehicle occupants using the safety belt or child restraint system in an appropriate way;
#3 - Protective equipment: percentage of riders and road users wearing a protective helmet;
#4 - Use of alcohol: percentage of drivers driving within the legal limit for blood alcohol content;
#5 - Distraction: number of drivers not using handheld devices;
#6 - Vehicle safety: percentage of new passenger cars with a Euro NCAP safety rating equal or above a predefined threshold;
#7 - Infrastructure: distance driven over roads with a safety rating above an agreed threshold;
#8 - Post-crash care: time passed in minutes and seconds between the emergency call following a collision and the arrival of the emergency services.
By collecting these data, the idea is to see how well are the EU countries performing in terms of reducing risks and increasing road safety.
