Europees Handvest voor veiligheid op de weg getekend door 39 bedrijven (en)

Hosted by Minister Seamus Brennan from the Irish Presidency, the first Official Signing Event of the European Road Safety Charter took place in Dublin Castle today. In the presence of the European transport ministers, European Commission Vice-President, Loyola de Palacio invited thirty-nine companies and associations to sign the Charter (see annexes). Announced in 2003 in the European Road Safety Action Programme, the purpose of the Charter is to integrate civil society in the endeavour to reach the EU target of halving the number of road deaths by 2010. "Experience shows that substantial progress towards safer roads can only be achieved if society is willing to accept enforcement of the rules", said Loyola de Palacio to an audience representing the major road transport stakeholders, including Formula One World Racing Champion Michael Schumacher. "Halving the number of road victims is a shared responsibility", she added. "I am looking forward to 2010 with a very positive feeling. With such commitments we will achieve the target. Let's start, there are 20,000 lives to save on our roads."

Minister Seamus Brennan from the Irish Presidency hosted today the first Official Signing Event of the European Road Safety Charter. In the presence of national transport ministers, Vice-President Loyola de Palacio invited thirty-nine companies and associations to sign the Charter. The first signatories and their commitments were presented by Mr Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, Mr David Ward, Director General of FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Foundation, and Mr Ari Vatanen, MEP and figurehead of the Charter. Formula One World Racing Champion Michael Schumacher attended the event.

The first 39 signatories of the Charter include companies like Esso, Bosch, Honda and Michelin, automobile clubs from different Member States, umbrella organisations like the European insurers or European city networks, and national and international road safety associations. Through signing the Charter today they commit themselves in public to undertake concrete action for road safety, recognising the fact that halving the number of road fatalities is a responsibility shared among the EU, Member States, stakeholders and civil society at large.

Since the official launch of the Charter that took place in Brussels on 29 January 2004, the Commission has received almost 100 applications. The participants at the Dublin event are thus only the first in a long line of signatories expected in the next three years, which is the duration initially planned for this initiative.

The Commission created the European Road Safety Charter as a forum for civil society to contribute to improve road safety in Europe. Companies, automobile clubs, associations, schools, the media, cities, to name only a few possible signatories of the Charter, were called on to come forward with concrete commitments. The Charter was first announced in June 2003 in the European Road Safety Action Programme, whose target is to halve the number of road fatalities in the EU by 2010.

Annex 1

List of signatories

ANNEX 2

European Road Safety Charter

(SIGNATORY)

We, the undersigned [name and address of the signatory], represented by [name and position of person signing] Having authority, decision-making, economic or social powers or a mandate to represent,

And, in this capacity having a share of the responsibility for road safety in the European Union,

(PrEamble)

Whereas the number of road accident victims in Europe at present is unacceptable, and the most effective possible measures need to be taken to reduce this number in the shortest possible time,

Whereas coordinated action between the many parties having responsibility, in one capacity or another, is more likely to achieve the intended results,

Believing that there are effective measures available to encourage road users to apply safety rules and even to take further measures, for example in order to reduce the exposure of users to the risks of accidents; and believing that the scope of such measures will be all the greater if a critical number of stakeholders commit themselves to them,

Subscribing to the objective of reducing the number of deaths on the roads by at least 50% by 2010,

Confident in the sense of responsibility of the individuals and organisations concerned,

Aware that actions to promote road safety entail extremely low costs compared with the human, social and economic cost of unsafe roads,

(ObjectiVE)

undertake to implement, proactively, the measures within the sphere of our responsibility and activities so as to speed up progress on road safety.

and further undertake in particular, within the bounds of our responsibility and specificities and in conformity with at least one of the following principles:

(PRINCIPLIES)

1. To take the measures within our sphere of responsibility to contribute to the abovementioned objective of reducing the number of road deaths.

2. To include road safety actions and safety performance measurement among our major objectives and principal decision-making criteria, in particular in the context of research activities, organisation and investment and in the more general framework of the organisation of professional activities, so as to draw up a veritable road safety plan.

3. To share with the competent bodies responsible for road safety technical and statistical information making for a better understanding of the causes of accidents, the injuries caused by accidents and the effectiveness of preventive and palliative measures.

4. To contribute to preventing road traffic accidents by pursuing high-quality actions in one or more of the following areas:

• initial and continuous driving training and information,

• motor-vehicle equipment and ergonomics,

• infrastructure designed to minimise the risks of accidents and their gravity and to encourage safe driving.

  5. To develop and implement technologies for reducing the consequences of road traffic accidents.

  6. To contribute towards the development of means of uniform, continuous and appropriate monitoring of compliance with traffic rules by persons acting in our name or under my authority and penalising any offenders in a uniform, rapid and proportionate way.

  7. To create a framework encouraging the introduction of continuous education actions and the rehabilitation of high-risk drivers.

  8. To endeavour to contribute, wherever possible, to a better understanding of the causes, circumstances and consequences of accidents in order to draw lessons from them in order to avoid their repetition.

  9. To contribute towards ensuring that effective and high-quality, medical, psychological and legal assistance is available for road accident victims.

  10. To accept post-evaluations by peers, in accordance with appropriate confidentiality rules, of the measures taken to improve road safety and, where necessary, to draw lessons from them to review the measures.

  (CONCRETE COMMITMENT)

To commit ourselves to the following actions and thereby deliberately take the initiative of implementing measures going beyond the regulatory requirements in force, namely

[concrete commitment]

Done at