The opening of the Prévention Routière Internationale Conference 2009 ‘Young people and innovative road safety solutions’,
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Ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to the Netherlands. I am proud that we have the opportunity to host this conference, in which the PRI celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year.
Minister Camiel Eurlings would have liked to be here to greet and address you in person. Unfortunately, however, his presence was required at an unforeseen parliament meeting this afternoon, so he cannot be with us. He has asked me to convey his cordial greetings and wish you a fruitful conference.
A special welcome to the representatives of the European Commission, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations. Evidently, road safety occupies a prominent place on the international agenda. Together we can make our traffic safer. It is a good thing to exchange experiences and inspire one another with tales from actual practice. It is also a good thing to reflect on what we can do together in concrete terms.
Ladies and gentlemen, mobility is part of a dynamic society. Mobility is essential for a strong economy and for our social freedom.
However, mobility also has a dark downside. Every year, traffic claims 1.3 million lives. According to the scenario drafted by the Commission for Global Road Safety, traffic mortality could rise to nearly 2 million by 2020. Figures that sound quite abstract.
But… 2 million people… that is a number equalling the entire population of Slovenia.
Every fatal accident inflicts a deep wound in a family and a circle of friends. A wound that never heals and continues to hurt forever.
Accidents involving injuries also have grave personal consequences. The effects frequently remain noticeable throughout a person’s lifetime.
Young people are the ones who run the highest risk. In the Netherlands, nearly one-quarter of traffic deaths involve people between the ages of 15 and 24. In other countries too, young people constitute the category that is hit hardest. In developing countries, traffic accidents are the number one cause of death among young people.
We are talking about many millions of personal tragedies. But also about a social tragedy of unknown proportions.
In developing countries, the annual cost of road traffic injuries exceeds the total amount received in development assistance. People – especially young people – who are desperately needed to build up their country, are lost to the labour market.
This makes it even more difficult to attain the Millennium Development Goals.
Road safety affects many areas of our life.
Our personal happiness is at stake. But also our economy, our social development and our mobility.
After all, accidents are a major cause of traffic jams and delays.
When working on safety, it is of paramount importance that we, as national governments, join forces with our allies. Fortunately, we have many allies.
First of all, I would like to mention our social partners. NGOs – such as the PRI – are of great value. In the Netherlands, we can count ourselves fortunate with active social organisations such as the Royal Dutch Touring Club ANWB, the Dutch Traffic Safety Association VVN and the road safety organisation operated by and for young people, Team Alert.
Secondly, the international organisations: the World Health Organisation, the World Bank and the United Nations. Shoulder to shoulder they assist nations in increasing traffic safety.
I most certainly rank the industry sector among our allies. Industry is continually working on making vehicles safer. Safety belts, air bags, crumple zones, improved braking systems, Electronic Stability Control, sensors; these are all examples of innovations reducing the risk of serious injuries.
The end of these developments is still nowhere in sight. Some enterprises have demonstrated a highly ambitious attitude in this respect. Volvo, for example, have set themselves the target of developing and introducing the “crash-free car”. “Zero fatalities in a Volvo”. That is what the company is aiming for. We must not underestimate the positive power of such market ambitions.
In addition to NGOs and the industry sector, we have other allies. We have one another. As national governments, we can learn a great deal from each other.
I say this from personal experience. The Netherlands is reputed to be a successful country when it comes to improving road safety. Whereas mobility grew significantly, the number of fatalities has decreased by more than a third over the past ten years. The risk of a fatal accident per billion traffic kilometres has halved in ten years. A tremendous improvement. And – I hasten to add – an improvement we could not have realised to that extent without our international contacts.
Let me give you three recent examples of ideas and measures we developed taking account of experiences in other countries.
The first is our successful Bob campaign, aimed at preventing people from driving after alcohol consumption. This designated driver campaign is based on a Belgian example.
The second is our decision to introduce an ‘alco-lock’ for people who repeatedly drive while intoxicated. These people can only start their car after a breath test has shown that they have not been drinking. This concept originates from Sweden.
The third and last example specifically relates to young motorists. Among young people who have just obtained their driving licence, the chance of a fatal accident is three times higher than among experienced drivers. That is why we have looked into ways to have young people take advantage of the road experience that older people have already gained.
Minister Eurlings will give young people the opportunity to obtain their driving licence at the age of seventeen. Subsequently, until their eighteenth birthday, they are allowed to drive a car under supervision. This allows them to gain experience, which benefits their safety and that of their fellow road users.
This example will sound familiar to those of you who come from Germany, as that is where this idea originates.
Ladies and gentlemen, these are but three examples of measures we owe to our international partners. Conversely, the Netherlands manages to inspire other countries too. A range of countries in Europe has adopted our campaign aimed at encouraging children to wear their seatbelts in the back seat.
The secret of our success: the Armadillo, which became a true hit among youngsters.
We are all allies in the fight for road safety. This conference, with delegates from all over the world, bears witness to that effect.
During this conference we will already look ahead to the major Ministerial Conference on Road Safety to be held on 19 November in Moscow. This will be the first worldwide gathering of responsible ministers to discuss road safety. Together, they will look for ways to prevent the forecast of two million traffic deaths in 2020 becoming a reality.
With each fatal accident we prevent, we prevent a world of sorrow for those who survive. Each and every life counts. That is why we are joining forces for safer road traffic.
I wish you all a good and fruitful conference.