The escalating toll of road fatalities in Ireland is a concern that mirrors a wider issue across the continent of Europe. The causes are multifaceted with growing attention being won by the issue of driver distraction, particularly regarding mobile phone use, shared a representative from the European Commission.
In a speech given on Monday before the Transport Research Arena, a key conference on transport research and innovation held in the Irish capital, Magda Kopcyzńska, DG Move director general, conceded failure in the European Union’s approach to diminishing road fatalities.
She noted, with considerable concern, that casualty figures were escalating across the board. The shared ‘vision zero’, an ambition of reducing road-associated fatalities to nil by 2050, appeared to be a slipping target. Current mortality rates linked to road traffic throughout Europe stand worryingly high at roughly 20,000 annually, she said.
The profound question of why this is, is always intricate. Ms Kopcyzńska suggests it might pertain to surges in traffic volume. This conference has drawn an audience of above 4,000 individuals spanning policymakers, researchers, and industrial experts. The EU is starting to explore changing mobility habits, questioning whether people’s travelling methods have shifted differentially, particularly in urban regions, Ms Kopcyzńska offered.
She commented that there is a fair amount of concern as it was anticipated we were moving towards the target of zero casualties, but this appears not to be the case. Every year, the EU engages in in-depth dialogues with national authorities from across all member states, including Ireland. The aim is to identify patterns and discern whether there are specific areas requiring closer scrutiny.
Ms Kopcyzńska emphasised the crucial role of not just national, but also regional and local authorities in discerning the underlying triggers for these issues. Ms Kopcyzńska voiced admiration for the emerging technologies aimed at aiding safer driving. However, she stressed the necessity of scrutinising the growing prevalence of both mobile phone usage whilst driving and in-vehicle display screens.
A recent study investigated the impact of distractions while driving, citing that drivers are aware they should abstain from texting whilst driving and exercise caution when taking calls.
Road infrastructure presents a further challenge, added Ms Kopcyzńska. She cited instances where infrastructure is degrading and its resilience against weather effects is declining. This compromises road safety and further complicates the task of safely operating a vehicle, although Ms Kopcyzńska again drew attention to the central role of human behaviour.
In an address to members of the US Federal Highway Administration, Administrator Shailen Bhatt expressed concern about the relentless rise in road fatalities, with last year’s figure standing at 41,000. Bhatt informed that holistic strategies are being implemented to reduce these numbers. This involves bringing about safer driving speeds, promoting safer vehicles, adopting safer road designs, and making use of advanced technologies to evaluate crash data as well as ‘near miss’ incidents. His goal is to derive data from these incidents and use this information to design roads that are safer and lessen fatalities.
The event also featured a speech delivered by Jack Kavanagh, a board member of the National Disability Authority and Centre for Excellence in Universal Design. Kavanagh suffered a paralysis as a result of a traumatic spinal cord injury while holidaying in Portugal in 2012. This life-altering event made Kavanagh, once a six-foot-two-inch man now reduced to a sitting height, realise the many hurdles disabled individuals face in the world.
He emphasised that design should be centred around how it impacts people. He reiterated that the surroundings play a significant role in shaping us, either empowering or hindering us. Kavanagh noted that one in five of us live with some form of seen or unseen disability. As life expectancy increases, so do diverse abilities, thus impacting us all.
Kavanagh encouraged the attendees, stating they were instrumental in opening opportunities for the disabled community if they adopt a universal design approach where ‘normal’ encompasses everyone. He viewed the conference as a chance to plan for an inclusive and accessible future. He implored them to strive for improvement, stressing the necessity to perform better.