1 Robert Nowak, Transport Division, UNECE 15 March 2011, Tallinn, Estonia Railway Safety Education Conference LET’S SAVE LIVES United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Decade of Action for Road Safety

2 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe A regional - and increasingly global – centre for international legal instruments 57 UNECE international conventions and agreements - Road, rail, inland waterways and combined transport 5 environmental conventions Over 30 UNECE trade facilitation recommendations

3 UNECE mission: Elaboration, administration and updating of international legal instruments that establish harmonized regulations and norms ensuring a high level of road safety The 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (96) The 1968 Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic and on Road Signals (69 and 58 Contracting Parties) The 1998 Agreement on Global Technical Regulations for Vehicles (31) The 1958 Agreement on Vehicle Regulations (46) Consolidated Resolutions on Road traffic (R.E. 1) and on Road Sign and Signals (R.E. 2) Recommendations on the transport of dangerous goods The 1971 European Agreement supplementing the Vienna Conventions (33 and 30) The 1973 Protocol on Road Markings (25) The 1997 Agreement on Periodical Technical Inspections of Vehicles (11) The European Agreement on main international Traffic Arteries (AGR) (37) The European Agreement on the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) (46) The European Agreement concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles engaged in International Road Transport (AETR) (49) United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

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8 Conclusions: Governments: accede, ratify, implement UNECE road safety legal instruments If road safety rules not followed Governments: use policy tools/measures to change/influence behaviour

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10 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Conclusions: Governments: accede, ratify, implement UNECE road safety legal instruments Cost/benefit approach rather than economic efficiency If road safety rules not followed Governments: use policy tools/measures to change/influence behaviour Effective vs. ineffective rather than economic efficiency

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14 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Conclusions: Governments encouraged and invited: - to implement road safety activities - to set national casualty targets

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16 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Safety at level crossings

17 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Conclusions: Governments encouraged, urged and invited: - to implement road safety activities - to set national casualty targets - to accede/implement UN road safety legal instruments - safety at level crossing an integral part of “road safety” - AGR (E-road) Agreement contains “safety provisions”

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19 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe On 4 March 2011, the Inland Transport Committee recommended: Working Party on Road Traffic Safety (WP.1), Working Party on Road Transport (SC.1) and Working Party on Rail Transport (SC.2) consider creating a joint Group of Experts of limited duration to work on enhancing safety at level crossings…

20 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Next steps at the UNECE: - WP.1 meets on March SC.1 meets on October SC.2 meets on 3-4 November 2011 Procedure: - Develop EG Terms of Reference - Seek approval of EXCOM UNECE: - international platform to discuss and increase road safety, including safety at level crossings

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