Road fatalities have decreased by 43%, from 54.375 in 2001 to 30.921 in 2010. Eight countries (LV, EE, LT, ES, LV, SE, FR, SI) have reached the EU target of 50% fatalities reduction for the period 2001 – 2010. The performance of Greece in fatalities reduction is ranked 23rd. 

The 1st International Conference on Access Management took place in Athens in June 2011 and was organised by the Hellenic Association of Rural and Surveying Engineers, the TRB, the Technical Chamber of Greece and the NTUA School of Rural and Surveying Engineering.

NTUA presentations included:

  Effectiveness of road safety measures at junctions

  A critical assesment of intersection safety across Europe

Road Safety at Junctions in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. Almost 8.300 people were killed in road traffic accidents at junctions in the EU countries in 2008, representing 21% of the total road traffic fatalities. This figure represents a 30% decrease in relation to the 10.500 fatalities at junctions since ten years before in 1999. 

The detailed main road safety figures of the EU are highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010, recently released at the  European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. The Netherlands, United Kingdom and Sweden are the best performing EU countries, as far as fatalities per population is concerned, whereas Greece, Romania and Poland are those with the lowest performance. 

Road Safety on Motorways in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the  European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. 1.654 persons were killed in road traffic accidents on motorways in 16 EU countries in 2008, representing almost 7% of the total road traffic fatalities. The fatality rate (fatalities per million inhabitants) on motorways decreased by almost 42% between 1999 and 2008, from 8,3 per million inhabitants in 1999 to 4,8 in 2008. 

Road Safety of Motorcycles and Mopeds in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. In 2008, 1.213 riders (drivers and passengers) of mopeds and 3.999 riders of motorcycles were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries, repersenting 17,7% of the total road traffic fatalities. 

Road Safety of car occupants in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. Almost 17.037 car occupants were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries in 2008, repersenting 48% of the total road traffic fatalities. This figure represents a 39% decrease in relation to the 27.748 fatalities of car occupants since ten years before in 1999. 

Road Safety of children in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. Almost 980 children (<15 years old) were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries in 2008. This figure represents a 55% decrease in relation to the 2.155 children fatalities since ten years before in 1999. 

European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. More than 106.000 persons were killed in single vehicle accidents in EU within the decade 1999-2008. This number represents one third of all traffic accident fatalities in those countries (33%). The number of people killed in single vehicle accidents in 2008 was 35% less than in 1999.   

Road Safety by Seasonability in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. Although the annual number of people who died in road traffic accidents in Europe has fallen over many years, the distribution of the annual number by month has scarcely changed. Motorcycling is the mode of transport with the most seasonal fatality distribution. 

Road Safety by Gender in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. In 2008, 36.721 people were killed in road traffic accidents throughout the EU, a reduction of almost one third since 1999 (30.1%). The number of people killed in road accidents in the EU decreased between 1999 and 2008 by 29% for males and 34% for females. The reductions in most countries were greater for female fatalities than for male.   

Road Safety outside Urban Areas in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. More than 20.500  people were killed in traffic accidents on roads outside urban areas in the EU countries in 2008. Fatalities on roads outside urban areas were reduced by 36% between 1999 and 2008. 

Road Safety in Urban Areas in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. 13.502 people were killed in traffic accidents on urban roads in the EU countries in 2008, repersenting 38% of the total road traffic fatalities. Fatalities on urban roads were reduced by 26% between 1999 and 2008. 

Road Safety of Heavy Goods Vehicles and Buses in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. More than 5.200 people were killed in road traffic accidents involving HGVs and more than 950 people died in road traffic accidents involving buses or coaches in the EU countries in 2008. The annual number of people killed in road traffic accidents involving HGVs, buses or coaches fell by almost 40% between 1999 and 2008.   

Road Safety of Cyclists in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. In 2008, 2.440 pedal cyclists were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries, repersenting 6,5% of the total road traffic fatalities. The figure represents a 29% decrease during the decade 1999-2008.   

Road Safety of the Elderly in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. Almost 7.150 elderly people (>64 years old) were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries in 2008. This figure constitutes 20,1% of road traffic fatalities of all ages in 2008. The number of elderly people who died in road traffic accidents fell by almost a quarter between 1999 and 2008. 

Road Safety of Young people in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. 6.421 young people (aged 18-24 years old) were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries in 2008. This figure represents a 40% decrease in relation to young people fatalities since ten years before in 1999. 

Road Safety of Youngsters in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. Almost 1.200 youngsters (aged 15-17 years old) were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries in 2008. This figure represents a 39,6% decrease in relation to the 1.984 youngster fatalities since ten years before in 1999.   

Road Safety of Pedestrians in the EU is highlighted at the Traffic Safety Basic Facts 2010 recently released at the European Road Safety Observatory of the European Commission as prepared by the DACOTA project. 7.638 pedestrians were killed in road traffic accidents in the EU countries in 2008, which is 20.4 % of all fatalities. This figure represents a 25% decrease in relation to the 10.278 pedestrian fatalities since ten years before in 1999. 

The Loughborough Design School is an international centre of excellence for Design, Ergonomics, Safety and Education. This new MSc in Road and Vehicle Safety is being offered by the Transport Safety Research Centre (TSRC), based within the Design School and is aimed at those who wish to extend and deepen their skills and understanding of this vast and expanding field of knowledge. Reducing injury on today’s roads no longer focuses on any single approach. In addition to crash protection of vehicle occupants there is a need to prevent crashes occurring. In this respect, effective improvement of traffic safety requires a knowledge of a wider range of approaches. 

The International Transport Forum (ITF/OECD) published the Research Report on Pedestrian Safety, Urban Space and Health. This Report is the result of a three-year co-operative effort by an international group of experts representing 19 countries, chaired by NTUA Professor Thanos Vlastos and with contribution from NTUA Research Associate Eleonora Papadimitriou. The purpose of this report is to emphasize the importance of walking as an integral part of the transport system and the vital need for policies to promote walking at all levels of planning.  National governments and transport and health ministers can do much to support and encourage walking, even when it is considered to be mainly a local policy issue. A clear vision and political support at national level, backed by a systematic approach to understanding and defining infrastructure quality for pedestrians, is an important complement to and support for initiatives taken by local authorities. On that purpose a comprehensive set of twelve recommendations is proposed. 

Car drivers are the largest road user group among road fatalities in all EU-23 countries. Together with car passengers they account for 50% of all fatalities. The proportion of motorcycle fatalities in Greece is 25%, the largest in all EU-23 countries.

Far more males than fatalities are killed in road accidents in all EU-23 countries. Most road fatalities are within the 25-64 age group. 

In EU-23, only 6% of road fatalities occurred in motorways. 56% of road fatalities occurred on non motorway rural roads. In Greece, more road fatalities occurred on urban than rural roads.

According to the Prime Minister Decision (ΦΕΚ Β’845/16-5-2011) the Secretariat of the Greek Inter-Ministry Committee on Road Safety is established. 

In May 2011, ETSC published a PIN Flash concerning unprotected road users. At least 15,300 pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycle riders were killed in the EU in 2009, and 169,000 since 2001. Deaths among pedestrians and cyclists decreased by 34% between 2001 and 2009 and those among PTW riders by only 18%, compared with 39 % for car drivers.

The 12th meeting of the International Traffic Data and Analysis Group (IRTAD) organised by the International Transport Forum (ITF) took place in Paris. The duration of the meeting was 31 March – 1 April. NTUA presented:  Data Collection, Transfer and Analysis  The National Road Safety Strategic Plan for Greece, 2011 – 2020

A Diploma Thesis titled ‘Development of macroscopic models for the severity of road accidents with one or more vehicles’  was presented by Smaragda Kritikou in March 2011. The application of the four of log-rate models revealed the impact of various factors on the accident severity (type of region, intersection, weather and lighting condition, vehicle type, age and collision type). Single-vehicle accidents were found 2.4 times more serious than accidents with two or more vehicles and the severity of accidents for the pedestrians was found 1.2 times higher than that for the drivers and 1.4 than that for the passengers.

A new campaign to reduce road casualties by promoting use of motorcycle helmets has been launched on the island of Crete by Make Roads Safe Hellas with the support of the FIA Foundation, as the first European programme of the Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative. This campaign has been preseneted at a conference held on the 24th of March 2011 at the Centre for Mediterranean Architecture in Chania. 

A Diploma Thesis titled ‘The impact of mobile phone use and music on the driver behaviour and safety by the use of a driving simulator’  was presented by Elena Papathanasiou and Evridiki Postantzi in March 2011. The analysis of the experiment results revealed that the lower speed and the increase of the distance from the middle of the road of the drivers who have a difficult conversation at the mobile phone while driving, cannot compensate for the much greater risk of an accident, in case of an unexpected event, due to increased reaction time.