Seat belt, lane departure and speed assistance systems could aid road safety, says ETSC
First published in The Global Road Safety Review 2015 as New vehicle technologies could aid European road safety
New safety technologies could play a major role in reducing the numbers killed on European motorways, according to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) in a new report, which indicates that, despite recent progress, around 1,900 were killed on motorways in the EU in 2013.
The report cites figures from several countries showing that up to 60 per cent of those killed in motorway collisions were not wearing a seat belt. It calls on the EU to require the mandatory installation of intelligent seat belt reminder systems (SBR) for all passenger seats in new cars. Currently only driver seats are required to be fitted with an SBR.
The authors also recommend the EU requires the installation of intelligent speed assistance and lane departure warning systems in new vehicles.
The report highlights the need for the EU to do more to reduce the numbers of people killed on urban and rural roads as figures show motorway deaths are falling faster than deaths on the rest of the road network. To narrow the gap in progress, the report recommends extending EU infrastructure safety rules.
