Policy Document Road safety - Policy Document Road safety
Overview
Background & policy context:
The number of road deaths in the Netherlands has been steadily decreasing since the 1970s. This number rose for the first time in years in 2011. That year 661 people were killed in road accidents. The number of people seriously injured in road accidents has been increasing since 2006. No fewer than 19,200 individuals were seriously injured in traffic in 2010. Cyclists, elderly people and novice drivers are particularly at risk.
In the opinion of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and administrative and social partners, these figures mean that greater efforts are required in addition to the measures already in place. Together, they have agreed to take 23 additional measures, each of these being a concrete action item aimed at reducing the number of serious injuries and deaths that occur in traffic, since every casualty is one too many.
Objectives:
Together with provincial, municipal and water authorities, as well as those of city regions, the central government adopted the Road Safety Strategic Plan 2008 2020 in 2008. This plan includes measures to achieve two key aims:
• reduce the number of road deaths to a maximum of 500 a year by 2020;
• reduce the number of individuals seriously injured in traffic to a maximum of 10,600 a year by 2020.
This national plan is based on a joint approach. All government authorities are working together to:
• implement successful general measures like sustainable and safe road design, safety awareness campaigns supported by enforcement and more stringent vehicle requirements;
• take a tougher approach to serious offenders to reduce, for example, the number of alcohol or speeding-related accidents;
• better protect vulnerable road users like children, pedestrians, elderly people and novice drivers.
Methodology:
Based on the international EuroRAP method, Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB will determine the safety of provincial roads and discuss the results of its work with road authorities.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment is making trunk roads and motorways safer through the investment programmes 'Safer 2' (until and including 2014) and 'Safer 3'(2015-2018).
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