EUROPEAN ROAD SAFETY ATLAS

FINAL REPORT

Report on the 2008-2011 programme and fulfilment of the European Commission grant agreement requirements

on behalf of EuroRAP AISBL

EuroSafetyAtlas AGREEMENT NUMBER: TREN-E3-S-ST-S07.82869

August 2011

Final Technical Implementation Report – European Road Safety Atlas

CONTENTS

Executive summary...... 4

1. Introduction ...... 6

2. Key objectives of the project ...... 7

3. Headline achievements ...... 10

3.1. Pan-European Risk Mapping and European Campaign for Safe Road Design ...... 10 3.2. How Safe Are You on Europe‟s Trade Routes? Measuring and mapping the safety of the TEN-T road network ...... 15 3.3. Saving Lives, Saving Money: the costs and benefits of achieving safe roads ...... 17 3.4. European Road Safety Atlas ...... 19

4. Specific tasks and deliverables for 2008-2011 ...... 25

4.1. Work Package 1: Preparation of mapping content, extraction available data in each Partner country ...... 25 4.1.1. Risk Mapping ...... 25 4.1.2. Performance Tracking ...... 27 4.1.3. Star Rating ...... 27 4.2. Work Package 2: Production of mapping content to a common format ...... 29 4.3. Work Package 3: Distribution of mapping through various channels in each Partner country ...... 29 4.4. Work Package 4: Evaluation of the extent to which project outputs have changed attitudes and awareness amongst target audiences ...... 30 4.5. Case study: Poland ...... 33

5. Results and impact ...... 37

5.1. Expected results of the operation...... 37 5.2. Multiplier effect ...... 40 5.2.1. Knowledge and good practice ...... 40 5.2.2. Dissemination of results ...... 41 5.2.3. Large scale application of results ...... 42 5.3. Visibility ...... 42 5.3.1. Commercial atlases ...... 42 5.3.2. Online route planner ...... 42 5.3.3. Motoring organisation magazines ...... 44 5.3.4. European Campaign for Safe Road Design ...... 44 5.3.5. Survey banners ...... 44 5.3.6. Sheet mapping ...... 44 5.3.7. Government buy-in ...... 44 5.4. Evaluation ...... 45

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6. Characteristics of the operation ...... 46

6.1. Innovative character ...... 46 6.2. European dimension ...... 46 6.3. Dimension ...... 47

7. Acknowledgements ...... 50

Annex 1: Market research survey template press release...... 52 Annex 2: Country survey results...... 53 Annex 3: Summary of media coverage in Spain...... 57

List of Tables

Table 1. Project Partners ...... 6 Table 2. European Road Safety Atlas country coverage by EuroRAP protocol ...... 22 Table 3. Risk Mapping coverage by country ...... 26 Table 4. Star Rating coverage by country ...... 28 Table 5. Distribution of results during the Atlas project ...... 30 Table 6. Survey results for 'roads perceived to be most dangerous'...... 31 Table 7. Survey results for 'awareness of safety rating maps' ...... 31 Table 8. Survey results for 'hearing of safety rating maps' ...... 31 Table 9. Survey results for 'frequency of choosing a route based on safety' ...... 32 Table 10. EuroRAP's role and reach ...... 48

List of Figures

Figure 1. European Campaign for Safe Road Design homepage ...... 10 Figure 2. Pan-European Risk Mapping ...... 12 Figure 3. Snapshot map showing Risk Mapping results for the UK, Netherlands & Belgium ...... 13 Figure 4. Snapshot map showing Risk Mapping for Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia & Austria..... 14 Figure 5. Analysis of the safety of the TEN-T road network ...... 15 Figure 6. Content from the Saving Lives, Saving Money report ...... 17 Figure 7. Internal pages from the European Road Safety Atlas ...... 20 Figure 8. European Road Safety Atlas introductory pages to country content ...... 21 Figure 9. Screenshots from the interactive online European Road Safety Atlas showing country content ...... 23 Figure 10. Survey banners used by project Partners to promote online survey ...... 32 Figure 11. First Risk Mapping results for Poland from March 2009 ...... 35 Figure 12. Screenshot of the Polish EuroRAP website promoting the Atlas project ...... 35 Figure 13. Search and results pages from Spanish online route planner incorporating EuroRAP safety ratings ...... 43

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Executive Summary

The European Road Safety Atlas project began in May 2008, with Partners in ten Member States of the European Union. The ability to bring together consistent and comparable results for countries across Europe, and the spirit of enabling others and working in partnership, stimulated developments further afield, with the final deliverable encompassing results from 23 countries. The project was completed in May 2011.

A primary aim was to produce Europe‟s first Road Safety Atlas as a key resource to support the Commission‟s information and transparency strategy on road infrastructure safety, providing consumer-facing, non-technical pan-European results.

The project was designed to deliver improvements in road safety by raising awareness and understanding of the benefits of improving road infrastructure. A number of different groups of stakeholders and influencers were targeted, and different communication methods used to achieve this goal.

This report demonstrates how these aims have been achieved over a 36 month period and outlines the headline achievements. Elements contained in the grant agreement to the European Commission are outlined and there is explanation of how these tasks and sub-tasks have been completed.

The project has successfully sustained an information campaign for professionals and consumers over three years, collating and distributing best practice. One component of this has been the European Campaign for Safe Road Design. The Campaign won overwhelming support from key stakeholders and governments across Europe to commit to a European Safe Road Design Initiative. Motoring clubs took pole position in raising awareness and understanding of how affordable safety improvement programmes can save hundreds of thousands of lives and serious injuries over the next decade by removing the road features that kill and maim.

Collectively throughout the course of the project Partners have delivered over 50 separate launches of results. National results have featured in commercial road atlases, high circulation magazines, on-line route planners, online, print and broadcast media. These represent step changes in the way EuroRAP mapping and results are used and distributed, and provide a lasting foundation upon which to build.

The use of established and innovative product streams has introduced the concept of risk in a form that consumers are already familiar with and will be likely to use. Market research conducted as part of the project underlines that these product streams are trusted sources of road safety information.

Awareness of EuroRAP results amongst motorists increased in eight of the ten Partner countries. The most effective forms of communication proved to be website publicity, and coverage on television and in motoring magazines. Over 60% of drivers perceived, correctly, that single carriageway roads are the most dangerous, and more than three quarters are now influenced by safety concerns when planning their journey.

The project culminated in a free, online interactive publication bringing together results generated over the course of the work and setting out the essential next steps to ensure that these are used to foster change.

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The Atlas encompasses road safety ratings on a 240,000km network, spanning TEN-T, national and regional roads. It combines EuroRAP's Risk Mapping and Star Rating systems to provide precise data on the dangers that road users face. In total, 180,000kms in 20 countries have been risk mapped, and a further 60,000kms in 16 countries star-rated. Country profiles are documented with commentary on safety performance and analysis of risk distribution. The publication features 80 pages of mapping results.

Results have brought new insight, showing in a way that all can understand how the safety of Europe‟s motorways, national roads and regional roads can vary within and between countries. The work has built transparency and understanding of the priorities for action amongst informed opinion including media, Parliamentarians, policy makers and professionals. EuroRAP and the European Road Safety Atlas project has focussed on multi-agency working in its research, disemination and in popularising topics in the messages it provides. This has commanded widespread attention.

Leading countries are now setting the benchmark for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Europe has a major role to play as it embraces countries in all states of development in the EU and its immediate neighbours. A number of nations are already using EuroRAP results in order to track how well their road networks are improving over time and the measures used to reduce the death and serious injury toll. The challenge for the next decade is to help governments, policy makers, professionals, authority leaders and the public understand that the tragedy of routine and predictable road deaths need not be accepted.

The majority of road deaths occur on 10% of the network – Europe‟s busy rural main roads. Simple, well known safety engineering measures can pay back their investment in weeks. The European Road Safety Atlas brings new tools for a new decade, uniting nations in an effort to save lives and save money.

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1. Introduction

The European Road Safety Atlas project began in May 2008, with Partners in ten Member States of the European Union. The work also stimulated developments further afield, with the final deliverable encompassing results from 23 countries. The project was completed in May 2011.

With the exception of Poland and the UK, partners were automobile and touring clubs, supported by research institutions, government departments and road authorities. In Poland the project partner was the Foundation for Civil Engineering Development from the Gdansk University, and in the UK the project was led by the Road Safety Foundation, the enabling member of EuroRAP in Great Britain and Ireland. The project was co-ordinated by the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP AISBL).

Table 1. Project Partners

Country Partner (Co-ordinator) European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP AISBL) Belgium Touring Club Belgium (TCB) Czech Republic General Auto-Moto Club (UAMK) Germany Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V (ADAC) Italy Automobile Club d‟Italia (ACI) Netherlands Royal Dutch Automobile Club (ANWB) Poland Fundacja Rozwoju Inzynierii Ladowej (FRIL) Slovakia Slovensky Autoturist Klub (SATC) Spain Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC) Sweden Motormannens Riksforbund (M) UK Road Safety Foundation (RSF)

The project aimed to produce Europe‟s first Road Safety Atlas as a key resource to support the Commission‟s information and transparency strategy on road infrastructure safety. The project, and associated mapping, aimed to provide, for the first time, consumer-facing, non-technical pan- European results demonstrating the distribution of road safety risk on TEN-T, national and regional roads.

In addition to the identification of high risk roads, the project also aimed to move from measurement to action, fostering effective, proportionate, systematic action for safer infrastructure through the promotion of low-cost, affordable methodologies proven to reduce road deaths. The methodology used during the course of the project contributed to these aims at three levels:  providing a systematic audit of the road network;  understanding the sources of risk; and  indicating priorities for network improvement.

This technical implementation report demonstrates how these aims have been achieved over a 36 month period and outlines the headline achievements of the work. Elements contained in the grant agreement to the European Commission are outlined and there is explanation of how these tasks and sub-tasks have been completed.

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2. Key objectives of the project

The formal objectives of the project were to:

 deliver a significant milestone towards the Commission’s information and transparency strategy on road infrastructure and foster effective, proportionate, systematic action to reduce serious crashes through safer infrastructure;

 reduce the number of higher risk roads in Europe, promoting low-cost, affordable methodologies proven to reduce road deaths. The social and economic return from local safety schemes typically exceeds 100%;

 drive improvements to road infrastructure by highlighting poor roads. EuroRAP has demonstrated that transparency works by tracking authority performance after publication of “persistent high risk road” tables;

 raise awareness of risk amongst the public. Roads investment is controlled by a political process and the public must understand enough so that elected representatives are politically licensed to allocate resources;

 provide a training focus which enables professionals to take action with confidence. training in network safety upgrading is not yet formalised with many unaware of the potential; and

 sustain an information campaign for professionals and consumers over three years, highlighting the worst roads in Europe, raising the understanding of all stakeholders of what makes a safe road, where unsafe roads are, and how underperforming roads are being economically eliminated by systematic application of proven countermeasures.

The ability to bring together consistent and comparable results for countries across Europe, and the spirit of enabling others and working in partnership, led to the participation of 23 nations, more than doubling the number included as formal partners on the project. As a direct result of the European Road Safety Atlas project and related initiatives, first results were developed in Greece, Hungary and the Republic of Moldova. During the course of the work, Albania, Romania, Portugal and the Republic of Moldova also formally became Members of EuroRAP.

The project has successfully sustained an information campaign for professionals and consumers over three years, collating and distributing best practice. It has also identified higher risk roads and demonstrated how underperforming roads are being economically eliminated by systematic application of proven countermeasures. The promotion of the importance of road infrastructure alongside safe vehicles and safe users has been a key outcome.

The project culminated in a free, online interactive publication (atlas.eurorap.org) bringing together results generated over the course of the work and setting out the essential next steps to ensure that these were used to foster change. The European Road Safety Atlas encompasses road safety ratings on a 240,000km network, spanning TEN-T, national and regional roads. Two-thirds of this is in Risk Mapping, using historic crash and traffic data, which tells us much about what happens in the safe

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Final Technical Implementation Report – European Road Safety Atlas system – the combination of the way we drive, the vehicles we drive and the road we drive on. The remainder of coverage comes from Star Rating - based on road inspections - and tells us about the safety of the infrastructure.

Results have brought new insight, showing in a way that all can understand how the safety of Europe‟s motorways, national roads and regional roads can vary within and between countries. Analysis of road user involvement and interaction, and the pattern of crash types on individual routes, has helped to bolster knowledge of the reasons underlying higher risk sections. The mapping developed in the project helps to build transparency and understanding of the priorities for action between policy makers, engineers and public.

Across Europe, the Atlas reveals that 42% of the roads rated had unacceptably high risk, and over a quarter of roads inspected scored less than the recommended minimum 3-star rating. While motorways offer the highest and most consistent levels of safety, the Atlas exposes problem sections long overdue for safety treatment.

Results highlight the ongoing problems of single carriageways across Europe. These roads account for the majority of fatal and serious crashes and show wide variation in safety standards, with some roads carrying 30 times the risk of others. Research on which the project is based shows that the majority of road deaths occur on just 10% of Europe's network - busy rural main roads. On these roads simple, well-known safety engineering measures could save lives and pay back their investment within weeks. An in-depth study carried out by the Road Safety Foundation as part of the project (see section 3.3) demonstrated how 1- and 2-star roads could be eliminated in Britain over the next decade, with benefits worth £25-35 billion. The report exposes how a 10-year safety programme would cost less than 10% of existing road budgets but have the potential to save 6,000 lives over the next ten years.

Leading countries are now setting the benchmark for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The initiative began on 11 May 2011 and aims to stabilise and then reduce the growing level of global road traffic fatalities by 2020. Europe has a major role to play as it embraces countries in all states of development in the EU and its immediate neighbours.

The European Road Safety Atlas provides crucial evidence about the safety of Europe‟s roads, and is a rich resource on the high social and economic returns available through attention to detail on safe junctions, safe roadsides, safe overtaking and safe facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

The challenge for the next decade is to help governments, policy makers, professionals, authority leaders and the public understand that the tragedy of routine and predictable road deaths need not be accepted. A number of nations are already using EuroRAP results in order to track how well their road networks are improving over time and the measures used to reduce the death and serious injury toll.

The online publication of the final European Road Safety Atlas supports the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. It sets out the commitment of EuroRAP and its Members for a Europe free of high risk roads, achieving the essential first step in telling us where they are.

EuroRAP Members have committed to a number of specific actions for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. These include:

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 extension of EuroRAP membership from civil society, authorities and experts;

 ensuring that systematic measurements of known high risks through Risk Mapping, Performance Tracking and Star Ratings, and known remedies, drive investment and compel government action to improve the safety of roads;

 extension of RAP assessments of Risk Mapping, Performance Tracking and Star Rating to 90% of the motorway and national road network across Europe;

 extension of RAP assessments of Risk Mapping, Performance Tracking and Star Rating to 50% of the regional road network across Europe;

 building capacity and training authorities in RAP assessment and the Safe System, showing policy makers and public that routine, predictable deaths can be eliminated.

The majority of road deaths occur on 10% of the network – Europe‟s busy rural main roads. Simple, well known safety engineering measures can pay back their investment in weeks. The European Road Safety Atlas brings new tools for a new decade, uniting nations in an effort to save lives and save money.

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3. Headline achievements

Collectively throughout the course of the European Road Safety Atlas project, Partners delivered over 50 separate launches of results. This section details the headline achievements from the consortium of project Partners. These highlight ways in which the consistency of approach and standardisation of methodology enabled comparisons of road safety performance across borders.Achievements are presented in chronological order and, as such, the way in which the overall project developed is evident as the section progresses.

3.1. Pan-European Risk Mapping and European Campaign for Safe Road Design

Risk Mapping results for 15 countries were brought together in the first output from the European Road Safety Atlas project. Launched in June 2009 the development of results was used to mark the start of the European Campaign for Safe Road Design calling on the EU to promote a programme of safety engineering on high-risk roads across Europe.

The Campaign website went live on 4 June 2009 at www.saferoaddesign.eu, carrying background information, key messages, facts and figures and safe road infrastructure case studies from around the world.

Figure 1. European Campaign for Safe Road Design homepage

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A promotional video was also developed and widely distributed amongst Campaign supporters. To date it has been translated into 20 languages (Dutch, Montenegrin, Hungarian, Hungary, Icelandic, Polish, French, German, Serbian, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Macedonian, Slovak, Bosnian, Croatian, Spanish, Slovene, Czech, Italian).

The Campaign won overwhelming support from key stakeholders and governments across Europe to commit to a European Safe Road Design Initiative. Europe's motoring clubs took poll position in raising awareness and understanding of how affordable safety improvement programmes can save hundreds of thousands of lives and serious injuries over the next decade by removing the road features that kill and maim.

The Campaign raised awareness that, in the last 10 years, two million people have been killed or seriously injured in road crashes in the countries of the European Union alone. The direct financial cost of road crashes (excluding the substantial disruption and subsequent economic costs and those relating to pain, grief and suffering as awarded by courts) is estimated to be €160 billion per year - 2% of European GDP. This is more than the amount each of Europe's nations typically spends on primary schools or doctors.

The Campaign demonstrated how two-thirds of road deaths are outside towns and concentrated on busy main roads. In Europe's high income countries deaths are concentrated on main regional roads. In Europe's middle income countries deaths are concentrated on main national routes.

Modest investment in simple safety engineering - primarily in safe road and junction layouts and equipment like safety barriers - could cut its toll of road deaths and serious injuries by a third simply by investing in better road design, with estimated savings of 150 lives and serious injuries a day, and at least 0.5% of European GDP (€50 billion) a year.

Motoring clubs and research institutions joined together in calling for 'self-explaining' and 'forgiving' roads, eliminating routine and predictable deaths and injuries.

On 2 December 2009, European Road Safety Atlas Partners led EuroRAP Members in calling on the EU to promote a programme of safety engineering on high-risk roads. Results of pan-European Risk Mapping for 15 countries covered 140,000kms, showing the busy high-risk roads where deaths are concentrated.

Results were launched at a dinner with MEPs in the European Parliament. MEPs signed a pledge to support the Campaign and a commitment to safe road infrastructure for the decade ahead.

High-resolution poster maps showing results for 15 countries were distributed (See Figure 2). Snapshot maps for UK, Netherlands and Belgium (Figure 3) and for Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Austria (Figure 4) were also produced, demonstrated the consistency of EuroRAP methodology across borders.

Full coverage can be found at http://www.eurorap.org/library.pdfs/20091201_paneuromappress.pdf.

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Figure 2. Pan-European Risk Mapping

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Figure 3. Snapshot map showing Risk Mapping results for the UK, Netherlands & Belgium

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Figure 4. Snapshot map showing Risk Mapping for Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia & Austria

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3.2. How Safe Are You on Europe’s Trade Routes? Measuring and mapping the safety of the TEN-T road network

Published in June 2010, this publication provided the first comprehensive analysis of the safety of the TEN-T road network, highlighting wide regional variations in safety standards and levels of investment.

Figure 5. Analysis of the safety of the TEN-T road network

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The report showed how less than one-third of Europe's major trade routes met the best possible safety standards, with 15% rated as having unacceptably high safety risk. Overall, the TEN-T network accounts for around 20,000 deaths and serious injuries each year. EuroRAP estimates that this costs EU economies €10 billion annually, excluding the substantial costs resulting from traffic delays.

Of the 15 countries analysed in depth, Sweden, Netherlands, and Great Britain performed well, with more than half of the network length in these countries meeting the "best possible" standard. Even so, the report demonstrated how the majority of top performing countries had problem road sections overdue for treatment.

Poland, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were shown to have major challenges. In these countries only 5% or less of the network rated achieved the "best possible" safety rating and the majority of road sections were rated as high risk.

The nations of the British Isles were found to achieve markedly different safety standards.

The most remarkable country was found to be Slovenia with its newly engineered network outperforming most others. Nearly half (49%) of the network surveyed was awarded the "best possible" rating. However, away from the new TEN-T motorway network, road risk rates were found to be commonly ten times higher.

The top performing country in the survey was Sweden where 85% of the network length achieved a low risk rating. Success was attributed to Sweden‟s pioneering new safe road designs alongside its commitment to upgrade safety equipment on all significant single carriageways by 2025. This provides the model for all countries where traffic is too light to upgrade major routes to motorway.

The publication was welcomed by the European Vice President, Commissioner Siim Kallas. In a foreword to the report he stated: "As we plan for actions to reduce road deaths in the next decade, we face exceptionally tight public finances. We must focus on priorities and concrete results. So I warmly welcome this report by EuroRAP which provides new factual insights into the safety performance of Europe's major E-routes.

"As EuroRAP builds its European Road Safety Atlas, the safety performance of Europe's roads is becoming more transparent. The idea of mapping the safety of our roads to one common standard is proving highly effective. As each country is added, more of Europe's citizens, policymakers and road engineers can share a common understanding about the variable safety performance of Europe's road infrastructure. It is stimulating a new, practical and informed debate about what can and should be done given the high economic returns available from reducing road crashes."

How Safe are you on Europe's Trade Routes? was based on a sample of countries covering half of the entire TEN-T road network spread across 15 countries, 13 in the EU and three in immediate neighbours. The online digital report can be viewed at http://ten-t.eurorap.org/.

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3.3. Saving Lives, Saving Money: The costs and benefits of achieving safe roads

In April 2011, the project partner for Great Britain (Road Safety Foundation) developed and published the first EuroRAP crash cost mapping, demonstrating the distribution and extent of the impact to society and the economy of road crashes. Information for motorways and main roads was published, covering a network of 45,000kms.

Figure 6. Content from the Saving Lives, Saving Money report

The report found that 6,000 lives could be saved on Britain's roads over the next ten years if just a fraction of the money currently spent on road maintenance was provided for infrastructure improvements.

Britain loses up to £30 billion (2.3% GDP) annually in the cost of road crashes, most of which falls on busy, targetable motorways and main roads. Analysis demonstrated how within existing budgets, 1-star and 2-star roads can be eliminated in the next decade, with benefits worth £25-£35 billion. Achieving the savings will require that road authority leaders are offered guidance to focus on the full costs and benefits of saving the most lives for the money available.

According to Saving Lives, Saving Money, the total cost of crashes is well estimated by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) for general policy purposes and for evaluating the benefits of programmes to reduce casualties. However, the way costs fall on families, business, carers, NHS, emergency services and the insurance industry is poorly understood. For example, the report found that while the DfT considers the cost of care for up to 18 months, third-party court settlements value the costs for over half a century. Such lack of transparency of the scale of the crash cost burden inhibits effective action.

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The report recommended further improvements in crash data recording and analysis so that consistent measurements of protection standards of vehicles (NCAP rating) and infrastructure (RAP rating) are available for fatal and serious crash sites. This, and the linking of police crash records to hospital records, so that objective injury information is available, is vital to 21st century road and vehicle design.

The report investigates how much it would cost to bring main roads with safety flaws, such as missing safety fencing and unsafe junction layouts, up to safety levels that should reasonably be expected - and the savings that would result. It proposes a 10-year safety programme to 2020 finding it would cost less than 10% of existing road budgets.

In light of these findings the report called for:

 the UK government's Strategic Framework for Road Safety to make the Highways Agency - Britain's single largest crash cost centre - the model of best practice from which UK authorities can learn;

 new good practice guidance for authority leaders and professionals on generating and evaluating safety schemes so that 1- and 2-star roads are eliminated and dual carriageways and motorways are brought up to high safety standards;

 Parliament and the Treasury to examine the value for money that can be provided by programmes to reduce death and injury and investigate how institutional barriers to rational investment and priority setting can be overcome;

 technical improvements to the evaluation of crash costs and recording of serious crashes by police and hospitals, with more focus on long-term care and the true financial costs of road crashes to healthcare and emergency services;

 the insurance industry to study the initiatives in other countries where the cost of damage and injury claims has been driven down successfully through improved safety.

Engineering improvements are typically low cost and last decades. Without using a simple measurement of infrastructure safety like Star Rating, road engineers will remain tongue-tied in trying to explain what can be achieved through proven measures. Without normal methods of cost-benefit analysis, high return safety programmes will continue to be ignored in favour of programmes which are well evaluated.

This report revealed that the average serious crash cost on a main road is more than £1m per kilometre in a decade. Such a high concentration explains why simple safety improvements can routinely pay back their costs within a year - and then go on saving lives and money on emergency services, hospitals and long-term care.

A survey of the way in which road authorities evaluate and prioritise route action showed that the majority use first year rates of return – ignoring the potential for engineering countermeasures to continue delivering savings for decades. Such an approach prevents

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viable projects being generated on the scale justified and now being applied in other countries.

The full report is available from http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/media/11070/saving%20lives_saving%20money.pdf

3.4. European Road Safety Atlas

Systematic measurement of the safety being achieved on roads within and between countries makes transparent where action and investment needs to be prioritised if we are to prevent routine, predictable road deaths and serious injuries.

The three year project was concluded with the development and publication of the first European Road Safety Atlas in May 2011. The free online interactive publication (available from atlas.eurorap.org) gives road users important new information on the risk of death and serious injury on Europe‟s roads, covering 240,000kms in 23 countries.

Country profiles are documented with commentary on road safety performance and analysis of risk distribution across the network covered. Overall the publication features 80 pages of mapping results.

The publication was welcomed by Vice President of the European Commission, Siim Kallas, as an important tool for improving road safety across Europe, helping to build transparency and understanding of the priorities for action between policy makers, public and engineers. In a foreword to the publication he “warmly welcomes this first European Road Safety Atlas being published by EuroRAP to mark the beginning of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety”.

“Its maps covering more than 20 countries bring new insights and show in a way that we can all understand how the safety of our motorways, national roads and regional roads varies from country to country and within countries. If we want to achieve a Europe free of high risk roads, then these maps help build transparency and understanding of the priorities for action between policy makers, public and engineers.”

“I welcome too the achievement that this Atlas represents in bringing together stakeholders from more than 20 European nations. While EuroRAP has enabled common measurements of safety, it also helps every country involved also communicate the findings in a way that is relevant to their own people”.

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Figure 7. Internal pages from the European Road Safety Atlas

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Figure 8. European Road Safety Atlas introductory pages to country content

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The Atlas combines EuroRAP's Risk Mapping and Star Rating systems to provide precise data on the dangers that road users face across Europe's roads. In total 180,000kms of roads in 20 countries have been risk mapped, and a further 60,000kms in 16 countries star rated.

Table 2 lists those countries with information available. Partners in the European Road Safety Atlas project are marked in bold.

Table 2. European Road Safety Atlas country coverage by EuroRAP protocol

Austria Germany Netherlands Risk Belgium Greece Poland Mapping Bosnia & Herzegovina Hungary Spain Croatia Iceland Slovakia Czech Republic Northern Ireland Slovenia Great Britain Republic of Ireland Sweden Italy Switzerland Belgium Iceland Slovakia Star Croatia Italy Slovenia Rating France Netherlands Sweden Great Britain Moldova Switzerland Germany Serbia Greece Spain

Risk Mapping, based on crash records and traffic censuses, shows the risk to individual road users of being involved in a fatal or serious crash. Across the 20 countries for which this information has been made available through the Atlas project, 42% of the network was found to have unacceptably high risk. Average risk was highest in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece and Poland.

Of all the countries surveyed, the Netherlands achieved the best possible safety standards. Here 88% of the network was rated as lower risk. While just 23% fell into the lowest risk category, problem sections overdue for treatment were evident in most of the countries presented.

Motorways are Europe‟s safest roads for individuals users, with 99% rated as lower risk. In Austria, for example, 95% of the motorway network has been risk mapped. One-third of the network (34%) achieved the best possible „low risk‟ rating with two-thirds achieving a „low medium‟ rating.

However, risk can vary between countries where some motorways have risk rates four times that of the safest. The performance of Belgian motorways remains markedly below neighbouring countries with just 5% of the network rated as low risk. The severity of crashes on these fast- flowing routes, and the intensity of use mean that small flaws in motorway layout lead sooner rather than later to fatal consequences. The best performing motorways provide protection from objects at the roadside, separate oncoming traffic flows with central barriers and junctions allowing traffic to safely join the stream of traffic.

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Single carriageways are a particular cause for concern. Over two-thirds of the fatal crashes recorded on roads included in the Atlas occurred on single carriageways. The average risk of single carriageways was found to be four times that of motorways.

Figure 9. Screenshots from the interactive online European Road Safety Atlas showing country content

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In countries reliant on single carriageways to carry fast, through traffic, risks are many times higher than the European average. This was particularly seen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Poland. Road inspections are underway or planned in each of these nations to identify improvement programmes offering the highest casualty savings and best returns on investment.

Star Rating, based on physical inspection of road design and layout, gives a simple and objective measure of the level of safety built-in to a road. Roads are awarded a star rating, analogous to that used in EuroNCAP, where 5-star roads (green) are the safest, and 1-star roads (black) are the least safe. This measure was developed initially to improve transparency for policymakers and public of the safety of road infrastructure but it is increasingly used in investment appraisal, scheme identification and safety benchmarking performance.

Star Rating results now cover 60,000kms over 16 countries. The largest Star Rating programmes have been undertaken in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, which together account for over three-quarters of the European network surveyed. Coverage in these nations includes significant proportions of national roads and results on regional roads are developing rapidly.

Across the 16 countries surveyed, 27% of the network scored less than the recommended minimum 3-star rating for main roads. Half of the single carriageways rated scored 1- or 2-stars for car occupants. These roads showed the greatest variation in safety standards compared with other road types. The safest single carriageways on this measure were seen in Spain, with 22% rated as 1- or 2-stars.

In aiming for a Europe free of high risk roads, the Atlas achieves the essential first step in showing where these are and the extent of the issues faced. It also provides crucial evidence on best practice and design innovation, setting the standard for others to follow.

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4. Specific tasks and deliverables for 2008-2011

The project consisted of four work packages:

4.1. Work Package 1: Preparation of mapping content, extracting available data in each Partner country

This work package entailed the application of EuroRAP protocols to develop a data set. This was either a risk rate analysis (colour-coded maps showing the risk of death and serious injuries that road-users face on a road network), Performance Tracking (using results of risk mapping to show whether individual sections of road had improved over time ore remained persistently high risk), or a Star Rating, showing how well a road protects road-users if a crash occurs, combined with the likelihood of a crash occurring. In a number of countries all protocols were developed.

4.1.1. Risk Mapping

This stage involves collaboration with government data holders and associated agencies. Analysis and quality assessment of data are conducted by data specialists followed by its application to national and regional mapping with support from cartographic experts. The mapping in the European Road Safety Atlas has been produced to a standardised methodology, allowing consistent safety rating across borders.

Because the majority of fatal and serious collisions happen outside major towns and cities, EuroRAP Risk Mapping concentrates on rural roads. Typically, national programmes map higher tier roads first, where data are most often available, developing to regional roads over time. The aim is to include the road network where the majority are killed or seriously injured.

Road networks are aggregated into sections where they fall along the same numbered road and where design and operation is uniform. Crash and traffic data are assigned to each section, typically compiled into three-year data periods to minimise the effects of year-on- year fluctuations in crash numbers. In countries where crash numbers are low, analysis can be extended to five years or more.

The methodology compares the number of collisions resulting in death or serious injury on a road with how much traffic it carries. This takes account of an individual road user‟s exposure to risk. For example, a length of road with 20 fatal and serious collisions and carrying 10,000 vehicles per day will have a risk 10 times higher than a road with the same number of collisions but carrying 100,000 vehicles per day.

Motorways can have high collision numbers but also carry the majority of the traffic, giving an overall small exposure to risk for any one road user. On the measure of the number of collisions by vehicle kilometres travelled a road with relatively few fatal and serious collisions can be rated as higher risk if it carries low volumes of traffic.

Sections are allocated into colour-coded categories from high risk to low risk.

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High risk Medium-high risk Medium risk Low-medium risk Low risk

The Risk Mapping included in the European Road Safety Atlas uses the most up-to-date collision and traffic data available for each country collated from national databases held by government or police. Where mapping uses data periods greater than three years or includes crash types other than those resulting in death or serious injuries these are clearly marked.

Results from May 2008 to May 2011 demonstrate that the project delivered risk maps in 23 countries (see Table 3). In most cases the Risk Mapping showed the risk to individual road users of being involved in a fatal or serious crash – expressed as the number of fatal or serious crashes per billion vehicle kilometres travelled. A number of countries also produced mapping aimed at road authorities showing crash density (fatal and serious crashes per km), and, in the case of Poland extended this to show risk by different crash and road user types.

Table 3. Risk Mapping coverage by country

of which: EuroRAP Risk Rating Med- Low- Country km Motorway Dual Single Mixed High high Medium med Low Austria 2,021 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 66% 34% B&H 593 0% 0% 100% 0% 51% 30% 9% 3% 7% Greece 3,782 0% 0% 0% 100% 43% 38% 15% 4% 0% Belgium 4,078 40% 13% 28% 20% 2% 11% 15% 65% 7% Croatia 1,394 0% 3% 93% 4% 27% 23% 26% 16% 8% CZ 6,583 11% 10% 77% 2% 7% 25% 32% 27% 8% Germany 12,727 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 25% 75% GB 44,328 8% 8% 73% 11% 2% 8% 30% 48% 13% Hungary 2,007 39% 0% 61% 0% 6% 28% 14% 38% 14% Iceland 4,417 0% 0% 100% 0% 10% 13% 12% 12% 53% Italy 4,883 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 2% 65% 33% Netherlands 3,230 72% 15% 12% 1% 1% 2% 9% 74% 14% NI 2,206 5% 7% 89% 0% 0% 7% 29% 58% 6% Poland 20,824 4% 5% 91% 0% 51% 28% 11% 7% 3% RoI 4,974 2% 6% 92% 0% 0% 7% 40% 50% 3% Slovakia 5,063 7% 3% 84% 6% 33% 31% 19% 13% 5% Slovenia 6,494 8% 1% 85% 6% 28% 32% 18% 8% 15% Spain 29,464 19% 19% 63% 0% 3% 7% 27% 48% 15% Sweden 11,738 25% 43% 32% 0% 0% 0% 0% 11% 88% Switzerland 6,941 23% 0% 74% 3% 6% 6% 15% 47% 26%

In Great Britain, the project Partner pioneered the first crash cost maps as detailed in section 3.3. These showed (i) the average annual fatal and serious crash cost per kilometre across Britain‟s motorway and A road network - representing the costs borne by all road users, and

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(ii) the average annual fatal and serious crash cost per vehicle kilometre travelled across Britain‟s motorway and A road network - representing the economic costs borne faced by individual road users.

Maps have also been produced showing risk by Parliamentary constituency boundary http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/media/27191/rrm_britain_07- 09_with_rsf_logo_parliamentary_boundaries_filtered_100_80.pdf and for those with colour vision deficiency (http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/media/27188/rrm_britain_07- 09_plus_rsf_logo_colour_vision_impaired_deuteranopia.pdf).

4.1.2. Performance Tracking

Performance Tracking results – comparing risk ratings in consecutive survey periods to show whether road safety risk has improved, worsened or stayed the same over time, was completed in 14 countries overall. In some of these countries, results have been published annually allowing progress in eliminating high risk road sections of major routes to be detailed.

A number of project Partners have sought practical support from road authorities by means of pre-publication consultation with those responsible for roads shortlisted as improved or persistently higher risk. This enables more detail to be gained on the measures implemented and their effectiveness in terms of a reduction in fatal and serious crashes and returns on investment. It also acts as a strong catalyst for partnership working between different agencies.

The most advanced Performance Tracking is available for Great Britain, where results have been published annually for the last decade. Here, the latest results published in May 2011 showed that just 1% of the motorway and main road network had shown a significant reduction in the number of fatal or serious crashes between consecutive three year data periods (2004-06 and 2007-09). However, on the top 15 of these alone, fatal and serious crashes had dropped by 62% – from 494 to 190.

This represents an economic saving of over £50 million annually (£130,000 per km), to the costs borne by emergency services, the NHS, local authority care and by businesses and families. On average the schemes introduced on just the top 15 most improved roads achieved first year rates of return of 500% - in other words the value of crash savings achieved from the implementation of measures outweighed the costs five times over in a single year.

Full coverage of the results can be found at http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/media/27122/simple_measures_save_lives.pdf.

4.1.3. Star Rating

The majority of the work planned on the Star Rating was shifted towards the end of the project, in many cases to streamline the process and to include a larger network than originally anticipated. In total Star Rating results have been developed and published in 16 countries (see Table 4).

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Table 4. Star Rating coverage by country

of which Star Rating 1- 2- 3- 4/5- Country km Motorway Dual Single star star star star Greece 285 0% 12% 88% 20% 41% 20% 19% Belgium 249 73% 8% 19% 1% 1% 29% 68% Croatia 343 0% 0% 100% 0% 30% 48% 22% France 2,522 47% 10% 42% 6% 24% 13% 57% Germany 19,410 35% 3% 62% 2% 32% 35% 31% GB 6,155 39% 38% 22% 0% 14% 56% 30% Iceland 3,572 0% 0% 100% 0% 28% 72% 0% Italy 1,150 37% 63% 0% 6% 16% 37% 41% Moldova 2,629 0% 3% 97% 56% 23% 15% 6% Netherlands 3,808 68% 4% 27% 0% 5% 29% 66% Serbia 2,527 17% 4% 79% 3% 35% 33% 28% Slovakia 254 22% 52% 25% 19% 24% 49% 7% Slovenia 113 30% 0% 70% 44% 18% 18% 20% Spain 9,684 76% 0% 24% 1% 10% 48% 41% Sweden 9,161 19% 13% 69% 0% 26% 47% 28% Switzerland 1,420 3% 97% 0% 0% 0% 87% 13%

Using specially-equipped vehicles, software and highly-trained analysts, EuroRAP and its Members undertake detailed road surveys. These focus on more than 30 different design features known to influence the likelihood of a crash occurring and the severity of injury outcomes. These features include junction design, road cross-section and markings, roadside hazards, footpaths and bicycle lanes. Importantly, Star Ratings can be completed without reference to detailed crash data, which is often unavailable in low- and middle-income countries.

The survey vehicle records digital images of the roads (generally at intervals of 5-10 metres) using an array of panoramic cameras. Road features can be scored on a data tablet at the time of inspections, or from video on completion. Both methods are followed by a period of data analysis and quality checking. The process is technical and requires accredited EuroRAP inspectors.

When the road inspection and coding process is complete the data is loaded into EuroRAP‟s customised online software. In addition to detailed reporting, the software allows the development of a Safer Roads Investment Plan. This considers more than 70 proven road improvement options to demonstrate:  where the most affordable and cost-effective road improvements can be made across the network;  the number of deaths and serious injuries that would be avoided;  economic benefit, in terms of the benefit-cost ratio showing returns on investment;  cost, including capital and maintenance costs; and  the estimated cost per deaths and serious injury avoided.

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The Plan is fully customisable and is capable of covering an entire road network, specific roads or type of road safety countermeasure.

Workshops are held with all stakeholders involved following completion of the first stage analysis and support for implementation of crash reduction measures given by in-country EuroRAP teams and the EuroRAP core team. Training of road authorities is also becoming an essential measure to enable others to understand and continue the work.

4.2. Work Package 2: Production of mapping content to a common format

In this work package national and regional level mapping was amalgamated through the normalisation and merging of country specific data and network coverage. The aim was to show road safety risk, and how this changed, across Europe.

This included annotations to highlight areas of particular weakness and strength, together with illustrations of good practice. For example, showing the most dangerous (black and red) routes and comparing these to roads of a similar type but which achieved a better level of risk was a key focus. Output was designed to be accessible to both specialist and consumer audiences, in a format recognisable in all participating countries.

A comprehensive manual setting out the handling of data and the technical and design specifications for the production of standardised EuroRAP risk maps has been produced and is widely available to EuroRAP Members.

The guidelines include:

 data handling in the construction of a EuroRAP network;  differing needs and levels of understanding of the various audiences, and the measurement of individual versus collective risk through Risk Mapping;  methodology and step-by-step calculations to produce different types of Risk Mapping;  benchmarking risk and scaling risk rate bandings between countries to adjust for reporting and recording differences; and  full cartographic specifications for constructing standard EuroRAP risk maps.

The first of these delivered was the Pan-European Risk Mapping and risk ratings across the TEN-T produced in Year 2, followed by the publication of comprehensive Pan-European Risk and Star Rating maps in Year 3.

4.3. Work Package 3: Distribution of mapping through various channels in 10 member countries

The development of distribution channels in the form of contact database construction for target audiences has been a major initiative throughout the course of the project. This work was run in parallel with content preparation and production to make the best use of resources when establishing contact and working relationships with key stakeholders.

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Distribution of results was conducted in a way that harnessed the skills and expertise of project Partners and their combined access to a large technical and consumer market. This leveraged existing contact databases and established distribution channels such as magazine articles, newsletters, awareness campaigns, websites and launch events.

To deliver this work package individual project Partners were responsible for placing project deliverables and associated output in their own distribution channels. In order to maximise coverage each country has undertaken a structured awareness campaign to include: launch events, website visibility, inclusion in Club magazines, national and regional print, broadcast and online media, coverage in consumer and professional magazines, on-line route planners, and commercial atlases.

Partners have delivered maps through a significant number of distribution channels. Over the course of the 3 year project, over 50 separate national launch events took place (more than 1 per month on average), including conferences, seminars, workshops, press launches and media briefings. Table 5 details the way in which results were distributed over the course of the project.

Table 5. Distribution of results during the Atlas project

Output Delivered May 2008 – May 2011 Press releases 35 Magazines 18 Web 19 Launches 35 Commercial road atlases 9 Events 20 Route Planning 3

4.4. Work Package 4: Evaluation of the extent to which project outputs have changed attitudes and awareness amongst target audiences

The final work package consisted of market research organised centrally, in consultation with Partners, to establish how consumers perceive the risk maps of their own country, how aware they are of road infrastructure issues relating to road safety and how best to develop the project outputs to provide them with a valuable tool. The aim was to evaluate the success of mapping unsafe roads in delivering awareness of the issues, and the extent to which it has an impact on consumer behaviour.

A formal survey of a statistically robust sample of motorists in each Partner country (minimum of 3,000) was undertaken at three points during the course of the project to establish the level of awareness of road safety maps and how well consumers understand the level of risk. Wave one took place in March 2009 and provided a set of benchmark results. The survey was repeated in December 2009 and December 2010. At each of the three waves, participants were asked a standard set of 4 questions, featured below with summary results.

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Q1. Roads perceived to be most dangerous

The majority of respondents perceived single carriageways to be the most dangerous throughout the course of the project. Perceptions of relative risk by the remaining road types was proportionately similar, with approximately 1 in 6 perceiving all road types to have similar risks, and 1 in 10 perceiving motorways to carry the highest risks.

Table 6. Survey results for 'roads perceived to be most dangerous'

March 2009 December 2009 December 2010 Motorway 11% 11% 12% Dual Carriageway 8% 8% 8% Single Carriageway 63% 63% 58% All the same 16% 16% 19% Don‟t know 3% 2% 3% Number of respondents 3,007 3,005 3,347

Q2. Awareness of safety rating maps

At the start of the project 17% of motorists overall agreed that they were aware of road safety maps, with almost double that number in Spain, where communication of EuroRAP‟s work is well established and widely recognised. By the end of 2010 this figure had increased to 20%, with most countries seeing a significant increase.

Table 7. Survey results for 'awareness of safety rating maps'

March 2009 December 2009 December 2010 Yes 17% 19% 20% No 78% 77% 75% Don‟t know 5% 4% 5% Number of respondents 3,007 3,005 3,347

Q3. Where respondents have heard about safety rating maps

The majority of respondents had heard about safety rating maps via the internet. The proportions of those accessing information via this method saw a gradual increase through the course of the project from 45% at wave 1 to over half (52%) at wave 3. TV was also found to be a key source, followed by motoring magazines and family and friends.

Table 8. Survey results for 'hearing of safety rating maps'

March 2009 December 2009 December 2010 Motoring organization 8% 11% 10% Motoring magazine 22% 22% 24% Another type of magazine 7% 5% 4% On TV 25% 24% 27% On the Radio 12% 9% 9%

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In a newspaper 15% 11% 16% On a website 45% 48% 52% In road atlas 13% 8% 12% On satnav system 14% 16% 16% Friends/family 17% 18% 21% Other 1% 2% 3% Number of respondents 511 563 673

Q4. Frequency of choosing route which uses roads respondent thinks is safer

There was also a noticeable increase in the percentage of motorists who made a conscious decision to choose their route because they believed it to be safer. At the beginning of the project 38% of motorists claimed to choose a safe route „always‟ or „frequently‟, increasing to 44% by the end of 2010.

Table 9. Survey results for 'frequency of choosing a route based on safety'

March 2009 December 2009 December 2010 Always 8% 9% 10% Frequently 30% 30% 34% Occasionally 32% 32% 34% Never 25% 25% 19% Don‟t know 5% 5% 3% Number of respondents 3,007 3,005 3,347

This survey was enhanced by on-going web based surveys on each of the Partner‟s websites in the first instance but also increasingly through promotion on the websites of associated organisations.

The survey ran from January 2009 to December 2010. This allowed for more in-depth feedback, and provided a mechanism for engaging with road users through established mechanisms. Survey banners were produced and translated into each Partners native language for use on their own and their associate‟s websites.

Figure 10. Survey banners used by project Partners to promote online survey

All survey work was managed centrally by EuroRAP and results distributed to Partners on a regular basis. Project Partners were encouraged to promote the survey and generate additional

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coverage by publicising the results at regular intervals. A tailored press release was also developed for each country, comparing individual country results to the overall picture (see Annex 1).

Partners promoted this survey through their websites, email newsletters, email signatures and in their traditional media. Overall 5,800 motorists participated in this activity across the Partner countries. Summary results from this survey are shown in Annex 2.

Project Partners have used the results to generate awareness of their national EuroRAP programmes and the importance of safe road infrastructure alongside safe vehicles and safe road users. The survey has also enabled Partners to develop alliances with additional distribution channels both for encouraging responses and disseminating findings. For example, the Road Safety Foundation worked with the AA to promote the survey in their Members‟ email newsletter, which resulted in nearly 400 responses, and generated additional awareness amongst the largest motorists‟ club in the UK.

Throughout the process EuroRAP has provided guidance and press release templates which have enabled all Partners to benefit from the expertise of the more experienced and established Members.

4.5. Case Study: Poland

EuroRAP‟s Partner in Poland was FRIL, the Foundation for Civil Engineering Development, based in Gdansk, working closely with the PZM motoring club. Having joined EuroRAP shortly before the beginning of this project, they embraced the example provided by established Partners and made excellent progress on all fronts, becoming a model from which others were able to take guidance and follow.

In recognition of the quality of their commitment to road safety and the quality of their research and communications, PZM and FRIL were nominated for the prestigious Road Safety Partner award by the Road Safety Partnership Association of Poland.

The following section details the action taken by the Polish partnership in each of the work packages.

Work Package 1: Preparation of mapping content

During 2008, FRIL worked hard to establish a strong partnership of key stakeholders in order to build a robust and long-term EuroRAP programme. As a result, the programme was led by the Foundation for Civil Engineering (FRIL), the Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (PZM), and the Gdansk University of Technology. Project partners included representatives from the national road authority (GDDKiA - General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways), the advisory and auxiliary body of the Council of Ministers (NRSC - National Road Safety Council), the Polish National Police Road Safety Department and industry (Toyota Poland, Shell Poland and 3M Poland).

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Relationships were established with data holders and data collation undertaken, with standard quality assurance and sensitivity testing being an important component of this stage.

Work Package 2: Production of mapping content to a common format

Pilot Risk Mapping was produced and used in consultation with the Steering Committee established to oversee and direct the programme. Risk Mapping was produced in close consultation with the core EuroRAP team to ensure that it met the Associations criteria on standardisation and consistency, ensuring that results from Poland could be compared with those from other cou8ntries also undertaking Risk Mapping development.

Work Package 3: Distribution of mapping through various channels

This work package commenced with a press conference and road safety seminar in March 2009 (see http://www.eurorap.org/news_item?search=y&ID=220 for the full press release and results). The event was well attended and attracted a wide range of stakeholders including road authorities, government officials, research institutions, road safety professionals and media.

The first EuroRAP Risk Mapping results on 5,500km of national roads in Poland presented a concerning picture. Between 2005 and 2007, the network accounted for over 3,000 crashes resulting in death and nearly 5,000 resulting in serious injury, equating to 17% of road casualties during the period. The network carried just 10% of traffic flow.

Twenty one sections were found to have over 10 fatal and serious crashes every year. These sections therefore offered the largest potential for casualty reductions and indicated where action and investment should be targeted.

Following the successful launch of the first results FRIL and PZM became signatories to the European Campaign for Safe Road Design, supporting the initiative with a wide range of communications materials. These included brochures, posters of Risk Mapping for Poland, and a DVD containing the translated version of the Safe Roads Save Lives campaign promotional film. Risk Mapping results and campaign promotion was also carried in PZM‟s member magazine, and promoting in fuel stations and Toyota dealerships. Coverage was estimated to have reached 1.7 million people.

A follow up launch event took place in November 2009 to publicise the updated and extended Risk Mapping results – covering national and TEN-T roads.

Risk Mapping showing safety ratings for individual road users was also presented alongside mapping showing the most frequent crash types and contributing factors including crashes with pedestrians, speeding, head-on collisions, and run-off crashes.

Mapping aimed at road authorities, showing crash density (fatal and serious crashes per km) was also published.

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Figure 11. First Risk Mapping results for Poland from March 2009

Full results can be found at http://www.eurorap.org/library/pdfs/news/20091126_EURORAP_Folder_2009_podglad.pdf

European Campaign for Safe Road Design materials were also distributed at the event. An online presence was initiated with the development and publication of an English language website containing information on the Polish national EuroRAP programme and all associated communications materials (see www.eurorap.pl). This has subsequently been developed with further material and provided in Polish. Media distribution for this event reached 1.5 million.

Figure 12. Screenshot of the Polish EuroRAP website promoting the Atlas project

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A third event followed in October 2010, with the publication of updated Risk Mapping on national and TEN-T roads, alongside mapping in two voivoidships: Pomorskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie. Comparison of road safety performance with other countries revealed that Poland‟s national roads were four times higher risk than those in Germany and Great Britain, with risk on motorways being six times higher. This achieved media distribution of 3.3 million. Full coverage can be viewed at http://www.eurorap.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=76#

Including a further two regional launches, a total of 119 press articles on the European Road safety Atlas and the work undertaken in Poland have been published.

Work Package 4: Evaluation of the extent to which project outputs have changed attitudes and awareness amongst target audiences

In the benchmarking stage of research, it was apparent that FRIL‟s activities had paid dividends, with awareness of the Risk Mapping rising from 17% at wave 1 of the market research, to 29% in wave 2. Respondents also had a good understanding of which roads were most dangerous, and over two-thirds (64%) stated that they would always or frequently plan their route with safety in mind. This compared with an average across all project Partners of 38%. These high levels increased further throughout the course of the project – with 33% of motorists aware of the risk maps in wave 3. This compares with an average of 20% across the ten partner countries.

The use of survey banners on their own websites and those of their supporting partners and associates achieved a total of 778 responses, giving a robust assessment of how consumers engage with road safety issues.

Together, those involved in the Polish programme have made immense progress in developing links with government bodies and stakeholders in the safe road system. Materials and results from the European Road Safety Atlas project have been presented to the National Road Safety Council and ministers and members of parliament connected with transport. The progress made by Poland during this project is an excellent illustration of how solid technical development, paired with innovative communication approaches, has the potential to deliver improvements in awareness and understanding of the importance of road infrastructure, in addition to fostering real changes in driver behaviour.

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5. Results and impact

5.1. Expected results of the operation

The project was designed to deliver improvements in road safety by raising awareness and understanding of the benefits of improving road infrastructure. A number of different groups of stakeholders and influencers were targeted, and different communication methods used to achieve this goal. This section summarises how well the programme has delivered the expected results.

 Reduction in deaths and serious injuries on the major routes of Europe as major road infrastructure improvements are developed and implemented.

Fourteen sets of Performance Tracking data were published across the Partner organisations during the project. The process is relatively simple, harnessing and utilising the data collated for Risk Mapping to illustrate the progress made in improving road safety. The protocol is an excellent opportunity to engage with road authorities and acts as a catalyst for sharing good practice.

Performance Tracking is best established in Britain where annually the safety ratings of all motorways and main roads, a network extending over 45,000kms are compared over two consecutive three-year data periods. Analysis is followed by consultation with road authorities to detail progress in eliminating very high-risk sections of major routes, and from those responsible for improved roads, how priorities for investment were evaluated, measures implemented, post-implementation evaluation of change in fatal and serious crashes, and any cost-benefit analysis undertaken as part of the overall assessment.

The 2011 results found that just 1% of the motorway and main road network in Britain showed a significant reduction in fatal and serious crashes. All the roads listed in the top 15 most improved had implemented measures to make roads more self-explaining and forgiving.

These included:

 speed limit reviews, particularly the use of buffer zones which introduce gradual slowing of vehicles as users move from rural to more built-up areas of the network;

 markings, such as improvements to centre and edge lining and the use of hatched areas to warn against dangerous overtaking;

 resurfacing, particularly the use of high-friction anti-skid treatments at junctions and on bends; and

 signing, including vehicle activated signs to warn of approaching hazards, interactive speed signs and clearer direction signs to guide users around the network.

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On the top 15 most improved roads, affordable investment in measures to make routes more self-explaining and forgiving contributed to a substantial reduction in fatal and serious crashes.

The latest British results published as part of the European Road Safety Atlas project demonstrate vividly how huge savings in death, serious injury and economic cost arise with upgrading of existing infrastructure and ensuring that simple safety features such as safe roadsides and safe junction layouts are implemented on busy roads. It recommends that authorities following good practice systematically assess possible road safety schemes for effectiveness in reducing crash numbers and find all those that represent a good investment return and responsible use of public money.

The value of engineering measures is commonly expressed in terms of a “first year rate of return”, where the cost of crash savings up to one year after the introduction of measures is compared with the cost of the treatment. On average the schemes introduced on Britains top 15 most improved roads were estimated to have achieved first year rates of return of 500%. In other words, the value of the crash savings achieved from the implementation of measures outweighed the costs five times over in a single year.

The full results can be found at http://www.roadsafetyfoundation.org/media/27122/simple_measures_save_lives.pdf.

Safety engineering improvements are typically low cost and last decades. Affordable investment to improve signing and lining and marry protection standards to the speed limit of the road can protect users from harm for 20 years, with nothing more than routine maintenance. Properly evaluated over the life of the measures, the returns from investment in safe road infrastructure are now difficult to ignore at a time when good investment decisions are demanded to promote economic growth and the nation‟s social well-being.

 Increased awareness of the shortcomings of road infrastructure amongst consumers, decision-makers and road safety professionals, leading to pressure for appropriate levels of investment.

By publishing comparative data for at least 10 European countries, the European Road Safety Atlas project enabled consumers and professionals to take an informed view of how their country is performing, thereby driving action by road authorities and governments to improve poor performing areas.

The publication of country specific road safety maps raises awareness amongst motorists, and during the period of the programme articles about the EuroRAP mapping protocols andsafety rating results have been seen by millions of motorists across Europe. In addition, mapping is being increasingly downloaded from Partner websites for practical route planning purposes.

In countries where detailed crash and traffic data are available, EuroRAP risk maps give an objective view of where people are being killed or seriously injured on a road network and where their crash risk is greatest. They capture the combined risk arising from the

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interaction of road users, vehicles and the road environment. Risk Mapping identifies high risk routes. The costs of proactively treating known areas of high risks by upgrading the safety detailing along a length of road are often far lower than piecemeal change once a collision has occurred.

Results help to create awareness and understanding of road safety risk as users move around a network. They are being increasingly adopted by road authorities and Governments across Europe as a way of prioritising network improvements and leveraging the funds required to take action.

 Increased knowledge of the practical remedies available through increased awareness of EuroRAP’s work. Disseminating annotated mapping allows road safety professionals to learn from others across Europe and understand better how infrastructure improvements can save lives.

As a result of the programme, an interactive, on-line European Road Safety Atlas is available for the first time for both consumers and professionals to use. It includes annotation and narrative to provide professionals with insight into improvements that make a significant difference to safety. It can also be used by consumers to plan a safer route across Europe and arm road users with the information they need to lobby for safer roads.

Project Partners and EuroRAP Members have materially raised the profile of road safety in the countries in which the programme is active. It has engaged public interesst (all results have been national media stories), encouraged sharing of responsibility between road-user organisations and government, supported promotion of legilation through the Commissions infrastructure Directive, raised safety on the polictical agendaand provided a focus for imporving data quality.

The project has provided a full programme of launches and other events, websites attracting more than 2,000 visitors per month and up to 20,000 hits per day on release of country results. It has engaged with Europe‟s motoring organiation members and the EuroRAP Technical Committee and plenary sessions held twice a year have been attended by 80+ professionals from over 30 countries.

 Enhanced standards of road infrastructure to be measured over a 3 year period via EuroRAP’s Performance Tracking protocol. This will make available for the first time pan-European mapping, benchmarking road safety performance across at least 10 member states.

The interactive Road Safety Atlas includes a range of Star Rating information, Performance Tracking data and Risk Mapping for all ten Partner countries in the project. This demonstrates how improvements have been made, and in which parts of Europe there is still a need for major developments in road safety.

During the course of the project, national programmes have extended their analysis to include performance of roads for different road users, particularly motorcyclists, given the

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potential of harm to riders in the event of a crash. Results are helping to inform debate on the need for measures designed to protect riders on higher risk routes, such as motorcycle- friendly crash barriers and cushioning around lampposts and lighting columns.

Used in this way, tracking of the change in road safety risk over time can measure success and the effectiveness of investment in safer roads. It is being increasingly used as an objective measure in establishing policy positions.

For example in 2008 a new speed regime was introduced by the Swedish National Road Administration to match posted speed to the physical road design and layout. This resulted in changes to posted speed limits on 25,000 km of the network. Speeds were reduced on three quarters of the network. On 10%, mainly highways and 2+1 roads, speeds were increased.

Following the speed review the safest roads, according to the EuroRAP Star Rating, were found in metropolitan areas and in southern Sweden up to the Stockholm region, with the exception of parts of Smaland, Gotland and some dual carriageways. The results demonstrate how reductions in speed cannot always compensate for low standards of road infrastructure.

 Delivery of the only available source of road safety data that will enable consumers to plan a safer route across Europe.

By providing information on road safety risks over 23 countries, consumers are able to access Europe-wide road safety data from multiple sources. The standardisation of EuroRAP methodlogy ensures consistency between and within countries. This data is not available from any online mapping tools available elsewhere.

 Expected results during the 3-year period and afterwards include improved, safer, roads as a direct result of making governments and road authorities aware of the extent of high risk roads in their jurisdiction.

Each of the Partners has built links with their governments and road authorities, making them aware of the findings and providing up to date, comparative data about their own road system and those of other European countries. In some countries this has resulted in the inclusion of either EuroRAP protocols, or recognition of the importance of safe road infrastructure, in national transport strategy.

5.2. Multiplier effect

The following section details how the European Road Safety Atlas project has allowed the transfer, general spread, dissemination and application of results, experience, knowledge and good practice on a large-scale.

5.2.1. Knowledge and good practice

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By benchmarking performance across Europe the Road Safety Atlas lays down a challenge for systematic action for accident reduction, promoting the implementation of best practice countermeasures and design innovation. Poor performing nations have learnt from more experienced Partners through regional EuroRAP meetings.

Throughout the project established Parners in Western Europe have shared knowledge with newer Eastern European Partners through direct engagement and through regular Workshops facilitated by EuroRAP. Experience has been shared across the project at six monthly Technical Committee meetings, and in addition, specialist groups such as the Eastern European Group and Road Authority Users Group have met regularly.

Close co-operation and sharing of results has led to a number of countries forming partnershops for the promotion and distribtion of results. For example, the Czech Republic and Slovakia worked closely to produce and promote results showing how road safety risk changed across borders, with commentary detailing the underlying reasons.

5.2.2. Dissemination of results

The European Road Safety Atlas project involved Partners who already had experience in the production and marketing of consumer-facing information and who could provide access to a large consumer market. The project aimed to educate and influence by leveraging the skills and multi billion Euros already invested in brand equity of Member motoring organisations, and using their un-rivalled communication channels to drive changes in attitude to the provision of a safe road system.

The extension of the initiatives from the European Road Safety Atlas project beyond the 10 formal Partners to 23 countries has enabled EuroRAP to communicate the principles of safer road infrastructure beyond the initial scope of this work, providing new reference points for neighbouring countries.

There has been extensive publicity during the project through the publication of articles in magazines such as Motorwelt, ADAC‟s member magazine, and extensive press coverage generated by Partners. For example, during the three year period of the project 48 articles have been published featuring the work of RACC in Spain, with a distribution of 1.2 million readership in 2008, 1.9 million in 2009 and 2.15 million readership in 2010 (see Annex 3).

5.2.3. Large scale application of results

The project has induced European Member states to take activities on board and has triggered further initiatives in infrastructure safety – principally through stakeholders (clubs/government agencies) at meetings (2 large meetings/annum), in regional activity (e.g. Eastern Europe), in legislation (e.g. using Star Ratings to set speed limits in Sweden) and politically (e.g. via national transport ministers).

The primary demonstration of success in this respect is the spread of the EuroRAP protocols well beyond the 10 partner organisations. EuroRAP has held at least two large

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meetings each year, interspersed with specialist workshops, technical meetings and seminars, designed to apply the learning gained across the Partner countries. A number of governments have made reference to EuroRAP in their National Road Safety Strategies (see section 5.3.7).

We have seen changing attitudes amongst motorists, with increased levels of awareness and understanding. There has been considerable support from the whole spectrum of road safety professionals, demonstrated by their willingness to disseminate the EuroRAP survey. In the UK, for example, it was distributed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the RAC Foundation and the AA.

All project Partners, in addition to a number of government agencies, signed up to European Campaign for Safe Road Design.

5.3. Visibility

In addition to a full schedule of launch events, Partner co-operation and map publications, a number of achievements stand out as worthy of attention. These represent step changes in the way EuroRAP mapping and results are used and distributed, and provide a lasting foundation upon which to build.

5.3.1. Commercial atlases

EuroRAP‟s rating system has become an integral part of the road mapping available to consumers. British Risk Mapping for motorways and main roads has appeared in the 2009, 2011 and 2012 editions of the Collins Road Atlases covering the UK.

The front cover of these publications carry the words „high risk roads‟ promoting the inclusion of safety rating information for consumers.

The Swedish Star Rating results are carried in the 2009 and 2010 national and European edition atlases published by the Swedish Partner (Motormannens Riksforbund). The mapping has also featured in Atlases in the Slovak Republic.

5.3.2. On-line route planner

The Spanish project Partner RACC was the first to build EuroRAP ratings into their on- line route planner available to motorists.

Using the results of Star Rating, well established and regularly updated in Spain, visitors to the RACC website are able to enter their start and end destination anywhere in Europe, the types of roads they would like to travel on and whether they would like to find the quickest, shortest or safest route. See www.racc.es/rutometro. Results show the route overlaid with safety ratings from EuroRAP results (see Figure 13).

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Figure 13. Search and results pages from Spanish online route planner incorporating EuroRAP safety ratings

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5.3.3. Motoring organisation magazines

EuroRAP is becoming a regular news item for motoring organisations to include in members‟ magazines, giving access to millions of motorists across Europe.

5.3.4. European Campaign for Safe Road Design

First launched in the UK in 2009, this format for lobbying government and professionals has given Partners a structure and support mechanism to replicate in their own countries (http://www.saferoaddesign.eu/). It is aimed at supporting the EC‟s Road Safety Action Plan Beyond 2010.

5.3.5. Survey banners

By providing each Partner with an individually branded website banner, linking to the market research survey in each of their languages, homepage visibility on some of the most visited motoring websites in Europe has been achieved. This tool, in each of the Partners‟ languages, has proved to be an effective way of pulling in strategic partners to support the programme.

5.3.6. Sheet mapping

In addition to commercial atlases, a number of the Partners have produced sheet maps which have been widely distributed via commercial outlets, including fuel stations and Toyota dealerships in Poland and in fuel stations and bookshops in Slovakia.

5.3.7. Government buy-in

A tangible demonstration of growing influence is the inclusion of EuroRAP protocols and performance indicators in national road safety strategies. Significant advances in setting minimum safety levels are also evident.

 The Swedish government is rolling out a programme to upgrade 75% of road travel to a minimum 3-star standard by 2020. They have also reformed speed limits so that they match the protection standards offered by a road‟s design and layout.

 In the Netherlands, the Dutch government reported substantial economic returns from large-scale investment in safety on national roads. The Netherlands continues its programme to achieve minimum 3-star safety performance on national roads by 2020. The Dutch automobile club, ANWB, are financing widespread and long-term road inspection surveys to generate Star ratings on a regular basis.

 In Great Britain, proposals for the same benchmark to be adopted have also been made public, with the launch of a large scale economic study examining the economics of upgrading motorways and main roads to a minimum 3-star level.

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5.4. Evaluation

EuroRAP is scrutinised and assessed by governments and professionals. The principles upon which the programme is based and resulting methodology is peer reviewed by technical specialists worldwide.

The technical rigour of the protocols is widely recognised and is now an established part of the road safety armoury, allowing a consolidated approach across Europe.

Over the period of the project significant progress has been made towards the production and dissemination of the full range of Risk Mapping, Performance Tracking and Star Rating results which will contribute towards a reduction in deaths and serious injuries on the major routes of Europe.

Our experienced Partners such as Spain and Sweden have shared their experience with newer Partners through regular meetings and joint working, ensuring that knowledge and good practice are disseminated across the team. By using a standard methodology, it is possible to ensure consistency and transfer know-how effectively between high performing Partners and newer entrants.

The range of communications channels used is ever increasing as the value of EuroRAP results are better understood and awareness becoming more widespread. Together with use of new technologies, safety ratings of roads across Europe are now widely available to both specialist audiences and the general public.

The innovative approaches available to Partners enables them to maximise the reach of their messages in a range of cost effective ways. This ensures that outputs are accessible to all stakeholders, and maximises the profile of road safety engineering projects amongst public, professional and political audiences.

The European Road Safety Atlas project has provided a solid platform for further developments and consolidation of approaches and the embedding of new initiatives across Europe.

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6. Characteristics of the operation

6.1. Innovative character

The European Road Safety Atlas project has provided new approaches to road safety principally through raising awareness of the importance of safe road infrastructure. The project, and associated mapping has for the first time provided consumer-facing, non- technical pan-European mapping with some of the attributes and characteristics of a commercially available guide.

The use of product streams such as sheet maps, commercial atlases, online route guidance systems and website visibility has introduced the concept of risk in a form that consumers are already familiar with and will be likely to use. Market research conducted as part of the the Atlas project underlines that these product streams are trusted sources of road safety information.

The project has also led to new practices. Sheet mapping and the interactive on-line atlas adds value to the road mapping currently commercially available. It also adds an extra layer of information enabling consumers to be aware of the risks they face as they move from one section to another and from one country to another. The information provided throughout the project includes reasons why some roads are safer than others.

The real value of the mapping results is that it gives a clear view to consumers and professionals alike of the strengths and weaknesses of their government‟s attitude to road safety and facilitates action to improve both the provision of data and a drive toward change and investment.

EuroRAP and the European Road Safety Atlas project has focussed on multi-agency working in its research and disemination and in popularising topics in the messages it provides. This has commanded widespread attention, amongst consumers, professionals and the media.

The European Campaign for Safe Road Design works on the premise that, in countries where traffic law is generally respected, the research now consistently shows that safe roads can save more lives than safer vehicles or safer drivers. The need for safer drivers and vehicles is well understood but the need for safe roads is not.

The purpose of the Campaign is to educate informed opinion on the role that safe roads can play in saving lives. The aim is to save lives by making decision makers and the public aware of what needs to be done to imporve road infrastructure, and providing solutions that will make a diference.

6.2. European dimension

Over the course of the project, Partners mapped and tracked road safety risk in 10 countries using data compiled from established sources. The work also stimulated

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developments further afield, with the final deliverable encompassing results from 23 countries.

EuroRAP is aimed at making roads safer by means of an information and transparency strategy, as highlighted in the European Road Safety Action Plan mid-term review (section 3.2, page 6). The European Road Safety Atlas project supports these priorities, particularly in improving safety in the new Member States, and in particular measuring and mapping the safety of the TEN-T road network.

The Road Safety Atlas also has strong linkages with the European Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP):

 Analysing existing accident and injury patterns by providing spatial measures across Europe to common protocols.

 Providing performance indicators and defining and disseminating information about risk on national road networks.

 Furthering the creation of a forgiving road environment and including work on road-vehicle interaction, “compatible crumple” and the Star Rating Protocol.

 Providing a bridge and helping coordination at European, national, regional and local level, a key element of EuroRAP through its stakeholders.

 Influencing road-user behaviour by increasing awareness of the role of infrastructure design in risk, and the part that speed plays in accident generation.

 Promoting information about appropriate speeds and illustrating the influence of speed on severe injury and accident likelihood across networks.

 Providing users with better information about the road network and explaining the relative risks and the need to invest in road improvements.

 Highlighting the importance of data quality and the need for improvement in the overall quality of accident, injury and exposure databases as fundamental to understanding road accident risk.

6.3. Dimension

The European Road Safety Atlas project matches the Commission's priority of supporting large-scale projects.

This project utilises an existing network of Partners to generate far-reaching results. Through a relatively simple to operate process, the vital message about road safety infrastructure is being delivered to millions of consumers and road safety professionals across Europe.

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Although the number of Partners is relatively small, the product of their work has relevance in all European countries and provides a platform for discussion and change.

EuroRAP exists to save lives through safer roads. It aims to close the gap between policy and practice by providing a crucial link, at the tactical planning level, between strategic targets set by governments or highway authorities for casualty reduction, and the operational engineering activities required to achieve them.

With the help of leading international road safety experts and motoring clubs it has developed standardised protocols capable of use in any country. In doing so these measures provide a common language that everyone can speak. The programme is based on three protocols that, together, provide consistent safety ratings of roads across European borders, increasing recognition and understanding of the sources of risk and indicating priorities for network improvement.

EuroRAP operates by measuring and raising awareness of risk, encouraging good practice and promoting the innovative implementation of road infrastructure measures known to reduce fatal and serious collisions. Our international processes and protocols provide a framework to pull through large-scale programmes to upgrade the safety performance of road networks where people are dying in large numbers.

The aim of EuroRAP data is to complement existing crash invetsigation and countermeasure development by enabling broader network-wide comparisons and extending action to large-scale imporvement programmes in addition to site and indivdual route treatments.

The EuroRAP methodology also encourages engineers to consider the quality of roadsides, medians, junctions, and vulnerable road user requirements in a more generic way, with a particular focus on the extent to which these designs mitigate injury in the event of a crash.

EuroRAP demonstrates how affordable, high-return safety engineering can save lives providing safe junctions, safe roadsides, safe overtaking opportunities and protection for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Association‟s values are built on a solid foundation of robust and consistent methods – simple to understand and easy to apply - and clear and concise information aimed at a wide audience, encouraging buy-in at all stakeholder levels: public awareness and pressure to act; political commitment; funding from treasury; road authority action; development bank leadership and the design and construction skills of road engineers (see Table 10).

Table 10. EuroRAP's role and reach

Politicians and the EuroRAP illustrates in simple, concise terms the safety public performance of roads and the business case for improvement Finance Ministries, EuroRAP provides confidence that investment in safer road road authorities and infrastructure is a good use of public funds through economic development banks modelling of the long term benefits of countermeasure

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implementation Road engineers EuroRAP provides robust and reliable support for investment decision making, performance tracking, planning and design of road improvements, and a platform for collaboration with road engineers and safety officers Automobile clubs EuroRAP provides the international benchmark, technical credibility and networks to enable clubs to undertake advocacy and engagement for safer road infrastructure

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Acknowledgements

The authors are particularly grateful to the national teams in the European Union who have compiled the data used in the pan-European components of the European Road Safety Atlas project.

National results were provided by automobile and touring club members and technical partners:

 OEAMTC and ASFINAG (Austria);  TCB and BRRC (Belgium);  BIHAMK (Bosnia & Herzegovina);  HAK and IPV (Croatia);  UAMK and CityPlan (Czech Republic);  AFAC (France);  ADAC (Germany);  Road Safety Foundation and TRL (GB);  ELPA, Panos Mylonas Road Safety Institute and Stelios Efsthathiadis Associates (Greece);  KTI (Hungary);  FIB (Iceland);  ACI (Italy);  ACM and AMSS (Republic of Moldova);  ANWB and Mobycon (Netherlands);  NRA (Republic of Ireland);  DRDNI (Northern Ireland);  PZM and FRIL (Poland);  AMSS (Serbia);  SATC and Geomatika (Slovakia);  AMZS and the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia);  RACC, RACE and Prointec (Spain);  Motormännens Riksförbund (Sweden);  TCS (Switzerland).

Collation of country data, analysis and validation was carried out by Caroline Starrs (EuroRAP AISBL). Cartography was carried out by Nick Moss (EuroRAP AISBL) using mapping © 2011 Europa Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Videos were produced by Neil Moss (EuroRAP AISBL). Surveys in Annex 2 were coordinated by Philippa Varey.

The European Road Safety Atlas project was managed by Dr Joanne Hill (EuroRAP AISBL). The project co-ordinator was Dr Steve Lawson (EuroRAP AISBL). Additional support was provided by James Bradford and Brenda King, financial management by Shona Holroyd and Rachelle Conry (all EuroRAP AISBL). European Commission project officer was Jean-Paul Repussard.

The authors are grateful for the continued contribution of John Dawson and the EuroRAP Board (Björn Dosch, Miroslav Firt, Jean-Marc Thevanez, Ferry Smith and Steve Lawson), the members of the EuroRAP Technical Committee comprising representatives of motoring clubs, road administrations and other bodies from more than 30 European countries in guiding the progress of the programme.

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EuroRAP AISBL is grateful to the European Commission, the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), and ACEA (the European Automobile Manufacturers‟ Association) for their financial support.

Sole responsibility for this report lies with the authors. The information does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the financial supporters and they are not responsible for any use of the information contained herein.

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ANNEX 1: MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY TEMPLATE PRESS RELEASE

January 2011

Road Safety Maps Change Drivers’ Behaviour

Comprehensive road safety maps are changing the perceptions and behaviour of drivers across Europe. EuroRAP has developed a systematic method of assessing the safety of roads which provides a consistent approach to improving road safety. Road safety maps show the most dangerous roads so that drivers can be more aware of the risks they face as they move around the network and plan their routes with confidence.

Motoring organisations across Europe have produced and distributed these maps, which classify roads according to how dangerous they are, and regular market research assesses how these maps are being used by drivers.

The latest research shows that awareness of the road safety maps amongst drivers is steadily increasing, although it does vary between countries. Website publicity is the most effective way of reaching drivers, although television and motoring magazines are also important sources of information. Over 60% of drivers perceive, correctly, that single carriageway roads are the most dangerous, and more than three quarters of drivers are now influenced by safety concerns when planning their journey.

The campaign in Spain has been particularly successful, with over 40% of Spanish drivers now aware of the maps, but countries which have produced their maps more recently, such as Poland, have also demonstrated rapid progress and show what can be achieved. More than one third of Polish drivers know about the maps and over half frequently choose their route for safety reasons.

Dr Joanne Hill, EuroRAP‟s European Programme Director, says “Road safety affects us all, whether we are drivers, passengers, pedestrians or cyclists, and we are delighted that our work is having such a positive impact. Our dedicated partners across Europe will continue to build on their achievements and do all they can to ensure that everyone can travel on the roads as safely as possible.”

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ANNEX 2: COUNTRY SURVEY RESULTS

1. When you are planning a journey, which of the following do you consider before deciding on your route? (Choose All That Apply)

Number of % respondents Which is the quickest route 3,860 67% Which is the shortest route 2,115 37% Type of road, such as motorway, single carriageway etc 3,297 57% Likelihood of having an accident 752 13% Cost of tolls and congestion charges 1,684 29% Likelihood of traffic congestion 3,039 53% Quality of road surface 1,569 27% Familiarity of route 2,418 42%

2. The following list shows various types of road found between towns in this country. Which, if any, tends to be the most dangerous?

Number of % respondents MOTORWAY - Usually three or four lanes in each direction of travel, separated by a barrier or central reservation 429 7% DUAL CARRIAGEWAY - Two lanes in each direction of travel, separated by a barrier or central reservation 347 6% SINGLE CARRIAGEWAY - One lane in each direction of travel, with no barrier or central reservation 4,362 76% All the same 506 9% Don‟t know 112 2%

3. There are now maps available which show safety ratings for the major roads in this country, to help motorists to choose safer roads. Were you aware of this before now?

Number of % respondents Yes 1,065 18% No 4,529 79% Don't Know 170 3%

4. Where have you seen or heard about these safety rating maps? (Choose all that apply)

Number of % respondents From a motoring organization 313 5% In a motoring magazine 278 5% In another type of magazine 57 1% On TV 168 3%

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On the radio 58 1% In a newspaper 149 3% On a website 489 8% In a road atlas 83 1% On a satellite navigation (satnav) system 83 1% Friends/family 93 2% Other, please specify 76 1%

5. When driving, how often do you choose a route which uses particular types of road which you think are safer than others?

Number of % respondents Always 546 9% Frequently 2,036 35% Occasionally 1,686 29% Never 1,191 21% Don't know 303 5%

6. Would you find it useful to have a map showing the safest roads to help you plan your journey?

Number of % respondents Yes 3,866 67% No 1,112 19% Don't know 781 14%

7. Where would you like to find such maps? (Choose all that apply)

Number of % respondents Provided by a motoring rganisation 1,890 33% In a motoring magazine 978 17% In another type of magazine 231 4% In a newspaper 614 11% On a website 2,601 45% In a road atlas 1,770 31% On a satellite navigation (satnav) system 2,645 46% Other, please specify 424 7%

8. Have you seen the safety rating maps published in this country?

Number of % respondents Yes 762 13% No 4,835 84% Don‟t know 161 3%

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9. How easy do you find the safety rating to use?

Number of % respondents Very easy 231 31% Quite easy 458 61% Quite difficult 58 8% Very difficult 8 1%

10. Are you a member of a motoring organisation?

Number of % respondents Yes 4,301 75% No 1,345 23% Don‟t know 89 2%

11. Approximately, how many miles per year do you drive, on average?

Number of % respondents Up to 5,000 miles 718 12% 5,001 -10,000 miles 1,956 34% 10,001-15,000 miles 1,561 27% 15,001-20,000 miles 754 13% Over 20,000 miles 764 13%

12. What type of vehicle do you normally use?

Number of % respondents Car 5,317 92% Commercial vehicle (van or lorry) 181 3% Motorcycle 85 1% Other, please specify 168 3%

13. How old are you?

Number of % respondents 16 - 17 20 0% 18 - 24 664 12% 25 - 34 1,090 19% 35 - 44 999 17% 45 - 54 1,049 18% 55 - 64 164 20% 65+ 762 13%

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14. Are you male or female?

Number of % respondents Male 4,615 81% Female 1,112 19%

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ANNEX 3: SUMMARY OF MEDIA COVERAGE IN SPAIN

Newspaper/Magazine Distribution figures 2008 Expansión Cataluña 9,861 El País (Ed. Cataluña) 58,925 Avui 41,441 El Punt (Barcelona) 7,988 El Punt (Maresme) 12,628 Que! (Barcelona) 225,119 El Punt (Tarragona) 1,893 El Punt (Girona) 15,518 RACC magazine 620,000 Movinews (Newsletter) 200,000 Total articles = 10 1,193,373

Newspaper/Magazine Distribution figures 2009 El periodico de Catalunya 195,118 La Vanguardia 247,472 El mundo (Ed. Catalunya) 28,639 El País (Ed. Cataluña) 80,591 Avui 40,676 Expansión Catalunya 14,925 El Punt (Barcelona) 12,220 El Punt (Tarragona) 2,714 El Punt (Girona) 33,319 El Punt (Valles occidental) no data available Que! (Barcelona) 200,215 20 minutos Barcelona 218,971 Regio 7 9,954 La mañana diario de ponent 7,082 Segre (Ed. Catalá) 8,677 RACC Magazine 566,200 Movinews (Newsletter) 205,000 Total articles = 17 1,871,773

Newspaper/Magazine Distribution figures 2010 El mundo (Ed. Nacional) 398,153 La Voz de Avilés No data available La Verdad de Albacete 3,507 El Periódico de Aragón 16,053 El Diario Montañes 41,858 El Comercio 30,214 Alerta de Cantabria No data available La Voz de Galicia 120,083 La verdad de Alicante 7,731

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La Región 13,425 El Progreso 18,353 El Adelanto de Zamora No data available Atlantico diario 5,074 Diari de Terrassa 5,998 La mañana diario de ponent 6,828 20 minutos Madrid 323,854 20 minutos Barcelona 218,971 ABC 342,820 La Razón 172,254 Público 117,459 La Gaceta de los negocios 91,639 Movinews (Newsletter) 215,000 Total articles = 21 2,149,274

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About EuroRAP

The European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP AISBL) is an international not-for-profit organisation (Associations Internationales Sans But Lucratif) registered in Belgium, dedicated to saving lives through safer roads. It aims to:

 Reduce death and serious injury on Europe‟s roads through a systematic programme of risk assessment, identifying major safety shortcomings that can be addressed by practical road improvement measures;

 Ensure risk assessment lies at the heart of strategic decisions on route improvements, crash protection and standards of route management; and

 Forge partnerships between those responsible for a safe road system – motoring organisations, vehicle manufacturers and road authorities.

In a handful of years, EuroRAP has grown from a 4-country pilot to become a major force for change, with active programmes currently in 17 countries and developing programmes in a further 9. EuroRAP‟s success is now being replicated across the world with Road Assessment Programmes (RAP) in more than 50 countries throughout Europe, Asia Pacific, North, Central and South America and Africa.

Programmes are typically self-financed by in-country automobile associations and national governments. Specific projects receive funding from the World Bank, Global Road Safety Facility, automobile associations, regional development banks, national governments, automobile clubs and associations, charities, the motor industry and institutions such as the European Commission. In addition, many individuals donate their time and expertise to support EuroRAP.

EuroRAP is an international not-for-profit organisation registered in Brussels (no. 50962003, company no. 0479824257). Registered Office: Rue de la Science 41, 1040 Brussels, Belgium.

Contact information

Dr Joanne Hill, European Programme Director on behalf of EuroRAP AISBL Correspondence address: EuroRAP AISBL, Worting House, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG23 8PX. UK. Tel: +44 (0)1256 345598 Fax: +44 (0)1256 811876 Email: [email protected]