The UK’s Road Safety Foundation (RSF) is partnering Spain’s RACC Foundation to prepare a pan-European benchmarking report to be launched later in 2017.
The study aims to compare the safety performance of different types of network across more than half a dozen countries representative of Europe. Dr Suzy Charman, recently appointed Research Director at the RSF, is leading the benchmarking work. The analysis is looking at the Europe’s trade routes (the TEN-T road network), national networks and – where possible – busy regional networks. If you are interested in taking part, there is still time to submit your details, email Suzy at suzy.charman@roadsafetyfoundation.org.
Marti Massot of RACC Foundation is leading an innovative time series analysis using a decade of EuroRAP Risk Mapping to compare Britain and Spain. Key to European safety policy is how quickly states with acute road trauma problems can reach the safety performance of top performing nations. Over the last decade or so, Spain narrowed a large gap between its safety performance and many other western European nations through significant investment in infrastructure safety as well as other ‘safe system’ actions.
Commenting on the study, Suzy said: ‘EuroRAP allows unique opportunities to compare not only how countries are performing today but also how their performance is developing over time on different types of network. This is vital data for those monitoring safety and making investment decisions. More than half of road deaths are concentrated on just 10% of roads.’
Suzy has already received data sets from half a dozen countries with more promised. Suzy advises the deadline to participate is now imminent and says to EuroRAP members: “Please get in touch as quickly as possible if you want results for your country to feature in this study and be available for you to publish later this year.”