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Ms Ellena Townsend from the European Transport Safety Council pointed out that the aim is to work together on a 50% reduction in the number of road traffic accidents by 2020. In 2014, 27 500 people died on EU roads.
During the TISPOL road traffic seminar, experts shared examples of best practice from the EU Members States’ traffic police forces and set out further TISPOL action plans and priorities to improve road traffic safety and to reduce the number of people seriously injured and killed on European roads.
TISPOL President Mr Aidan Reid emphasised four main priorities: to reduce the number of speeding cases, including driving in ways that are inappropriate for weather or road conditions; to prevent people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs through the implementation of appropriate control measures; to promote seat belt use not only by persons sitting in the front, but also passengers in the back; to eradicate the habit of driving with divided attention — i.e. the driver is distracted by other activities such as using smart devices and is thus not able to pay full attention to the road.
Mr Ints Ķuzis, Chief of the State Police of Latvia, stressed that Latvia has been an active member of TISPOL for five years. During the TISPOL seminars, it is important to learn from the experience of other countries and adopt best practices related to traffic safety issues, thus making our roads safer.
Mr Anrijs Matīss, Latvian Minister for Transport, pointed out that while the implementation of new technologies is the most effective way of improving road traffic safety, the final result depends on the behaviour of road users, so it is no less important to raise their awareness about road safety.
Ms Evika Siliņa, Parliamentary Secretary at the Latvian Ministry of the Interior, stressed that it is essential for road safety both to improve road infrastructure and to seek state-of-the-art technology solutions for speed checks. Another vital component is to control whether drivers are under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances. An appropriate penalty policy is of equal importance, and Latvia will be making changes in this area because, in comparison to other EU Member States, it currently has some of the lowest penalties for road traffic offences.
On 22-23 April, the TISPOL Council and Operational Working Group analysed the results of the first pan-European speed enforcement, assessed its effectiveness and brought forward proposals for further such activities at European level. TISPOL members decided that it is necessary to continue organising such marathons, not only to conduct speed checks but also to address other issues.
The road traffic seminar is part of the STRIDER Project (Solutions to Reduce Serious Injuries and Death on European Roads) whose aim is to reduce the number of people seriously injured and killed on European roads.
