1. ETSC_PIN_Talk_Estonia_2010_21_May
Road accidents with fatalities in the Baltic countries and development in Europe Aldis Lāma Accident database and road safety expert Member of „CARE & RSPI national experts group” from Latvia in EC Road Safety PIN panelist from Latvia in ETSC 1

2. Change of deaths in Baltic states
Best results in reducing road deaths between 2001 and 2008 have been achieved by countries with a medium level of safety (Fig. 1). Luxembourg, France and Portugal, already the top three for reductions up to 2007, keep their leading positions with outstanding reductions of 49%, 48% and 47% respectively up to Spain and Latvia are catching up with reductions of more than 43% just about the reduction needed to be on track. Belgium with 38% resumed in 2008 the good progress it was making between 2001 and Good progress was also made by countries with a longer tradition of road safety such as Germany (-36%), Switzerland (-34%), the Netherlands (-31%) and Sweden (-28%).
From 1991 till 2015 the number of deaths decreased:
7,3 times in Estonia (from 490 to 67)
5,3 times in Latvia (from 997 to 188)
4,9 times in Lithuania (from 1173 to 241)
Sources
; ;

3. Change in road deaths between 2014 and 2015
Best results in reducing road deaths between 2001 and 2008 have been achieved by countries with a medium level of safety (Fig. 1). Luxembourg, France and Portugal, already the top three for reductions up to 2007, keep their leading positions with outstanding reductions of 49%, 48% and 47% respectively up to Spain and Latvia are catching up with reductions of more than 43% just about the reduction needed to be on track. Belgium with 38% resumed in 2008 the good progress it was making between 2001 and Good progress was also made by countries with a longer tradition of road safety such as Germany (-36%), Switzerland (-34%), the Netherlands (-31%) and Sweden (-28%).
ETSC,

4. Deaths in 2016

5. EU ambition
EU target_1 to cut by 50% road deaths between 2001 and 2010;
EU target_2 to cut by 50% road deaths between 2011 and 2020;
Why do we think this is needed?
Generally – progress towards targets set needs close monitoring
All countries need to do more to achieve the EU target
We know there is more scope for improvement for the underperforming countries but ... 5

6. Change in road deaths between 2010 and 2015
Best results in reducing road deaths between 2001 and 2008 have been achieved by countries with a medium level of safety (Fig. 1). Luxembourg, France and Portugal, already the top three for reductions up to 2007, keep their leading positions with outstanding reductions of 49%, 48% and 47% respectively up to Spain and Latvia are catching up with reductions of more than 43% just about the reduction needed to be on track. Belgium with 38% resumed in 2008 the good progress it was making between 2001 and Good progress was also made by countries with a longer tradition of road safety such as Germany (-36%), Switzerland (-34%), the Netherlands (-31%) and Sweden (-28%).
ETSC,

7. Change in road deaths between 2001 and 2015
Best results in reducing road deaths between 2001 and 2008 have been achieved by countries with a medium level of safety (Fig. 1). Luxembourg, France and Portugal, already the top three for reductions up to 2007, keep their leading positions with outstanding reductions of 49%, 48% and 47% respectively up to Spain and Latvia are catching up with reductions of more than 43% just about the reduction needed to be on track. Belgium with 38% resumed in 2008 the good progress it was making between 2001 and Good progress was also made by countries with a longer tradition of road safety such as Germany (-36%), Switzerland (-34%), the Netherlands (-31%) and Sweden (-28%).
ETSC,

8. Deaths per million population
Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK remain the safest European countries roadwise, behind Malta, where there are special reasons for its low road mortality. Switzerland and Norway have been among the frontrunners in Europe for some time and Germany is close on the heels of the leading group. Ireland, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Portugal and Belgium all used to be underperformers, but now have a medium level of road safety.
In the EU there are 79 people killed per million inhabitants compared to 113 in Disparity in road death rates across Europe has decreased since 2001, and in 2008 there was no longer any EU country with more than 150 road deaths per million inhabitants. But there is still a fourfold difference in road mortality between Malta and Lithuania.
ETSC,

9. Deaths per million population
ETSC,
Deaths per million population
Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK remain the safest European countries roadwise, behind Malta, where there are special reasons for its low road mortality. Switzerland and Norway have been among the frontrunners in Europe for some time and Germany is close on the heels of the leading group. Ireland, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Portugal and Belgium all used to be underperformers, but now have a medium level of road safety.
In the EU there are 79 people killed per million inhabitants compared to 113 in Disparity in road death rates across Europe has decreased since 2001, and in 2008 there was no longer any EU country with more than 150 road deaths per million inhabitants. But there is still a fourfold difference in road mortality between Malta and Lithuania.

10. Road safety targets in Baltic countries
Latvia
The main goals of Road Safety Plan for years 2014 – 2020 are:
to reduce number of deaths by 50% from 218 (2010) to 109 (2020);
to reduce number of seriously injured by 50% from 569 (2010) to 284 (2020);
Lietuva
The main goals of Road Safety Plan for years 2011 – 2017 are:
no more than 200 road deaths in 2017;
no more than 60 deaths per million inhabitants;
to get into the list of the top 10 safest European Union countries.
Eesti
The main goal of Road Safety Plan for years 2004 – 2015 are:
to reduce number of deaths from 227 (2004) to 100 (2015).

11. The system “Road user-Vehicle-Environment
According to statistics the occurrence of road accidents is mainly related with road users’ actions.
The increase of the level of road traffic safety mainly depends on human factor.
The behavior of road users is one of the most important and most sophisticated factors in road safety.
It must be in the center of attention of all society as well as in the center of attention of particular sciences.

12. Key areas of road users behavior
The ETSC set down three key areas of road users behavior to improve overall road safety:
speed;
alcohol;
use of seat belt and other protective systems.

13. Problem of speeding in Latvia
The different statistics show that the speeding is widely distributed on roads of Latvia:
Speeding is ~ 20% of all fatalities registered in last three years;
The speeding is ~40% of all registered violation;
The statistics of speed distribution on state roads show that drivers exceeded speed limit + 10km/h:
On main roads ~ 20% of all checked vehicles;
Ensuring the keeping of safe driving speed for vehicles
Create public opinion of safe chose of speed;
Infrastructural measures of calming the speed;
Enforcement of speeding.

14. Speed and road traffic safety
There is an increased risk to be involved in an accident both for vehicles driving slower or driving faster than the average traffic flow;
Higher speed increases risk of occurrence of an accident because it shortens the period of time for drivers to take decision in critical situation and to perform manoeuvre of escape;
Higher speed increases the damages of vehicles and severity of injuries of drivers;
In its turn, the severity of the consequences of the accidents doesn’t increase straight proportionally to the increase of speed, but much faster;
In the accident with pedestrians the possibility that the pedestrian will be killed increases rapidly if the speed at the moment of crash is higher. For example, if the speed of the vehicle at the moment of crash is 50km/h instead of 40km/h the risk that the pedestrian will be killed increases 2,5 times;
Although speed limits are increasing the level of road traffic safety they are the most unpopular measures by the view of drivers.

15. SPEED Number of safety cameras

16. ALCOHOL Road deaths in accidents under influence of alcohol
National definition of deaths attributed to drink driving
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Average EE
Alcohol 16 22 17 23 15 18
Total 79
101 87 81 78 67 82 %
20,3%
21,8%
19,5%
28,4%
20,5%
22,4%
22,1% LV 26 25 10 29 12 21
218
179
177
212
188
192
10,1%
14,5%
14,1%
5,6%
13,7%
6,4%
10,8% LT 32 28 49 31
299
296
302
256
267
241
277
10,7%
9,5%
9,6%
12,5%
18,4%
6,2%
11,1%

17. SEAT BELTS Seat belt wearing rates in front and rear seats in 2015
Front seats
Rear seats
2015 EE
98%
82% LV
80%
51% LT
96%
33%
Total number of seat belt tickets.
2015 EE
6 333 LV
27 011 LT
21 727

18. Our excuses for not using seat belts (1)
"Seat belts are useless for short journeys..."
As 80% of lethal traffic accidents occur km from home and at a speed below km/h, short journeys at such distance and speeds require the usage of seat belts the most.
"Seat belt is useless when traveling slowly..."
70% of the injured people who have not been wearing seat belts have been injured when traveling at a speed below 50 km/h. A crash at a speed of 50 km/h is equal to falling down from the 4th floor!
"I do not have accidents - I am a good driver..."
Being a good driver can prevent you from having accidents, but you can’t be sure that a bad driver will not crash your car.
"Seat belt is uncomfortable..."
The reason that seat belts are found uncomfortable is that we are not using them. Once wearing seat belts becomes a habitual action, people do not think that it is uncomfortable. Even though the seat belt is uncomfortable, this can never be compared with the situation of someone who has become disabled after a traffic accident.

19. Our excuses for not using seat belts (2)
"I do not need a seat belt - I have an airbag..."
Airbag is an additional protector only against severe crashes from the front. Airbag increases the effectiveness of the seat belt by 40 % and is placed in the car to assist the seat belt. Airbags can never take the place of seat belts in crashes from the sides and to prevent being thrown away.
"I do not think this will happen to me - it happens to others."
This is our point of view of life. It makes us feel better to think that accidents happen only to others. There are facts that should not be ignored. For instance, one out of three people is injured during a car crash that occurs at any time of their lives. We can not predict when this can happen to us.
"Seat belt is my problem - it is none of anybody's business..."
Traffic accidents cost trillions of money to a society. How can the damage and loss of a life for a feeling of freedom which is personally deceptive be accepted? Can staying at the hospital for months or being doomed to a wheelchair all of a lifetime be compared to this simple feeling of freedom?

20. How to affect the road users?
To educate and to train the road users to behave safe;
To create public opinion about safe behavior;
To enforce the road users to behave safe.

21. HOW SAFE ARE NEW CARS SOLD IN THE EU?
Although the reduction in deaths may be a result of many factors, including better enforcement, changing behavior and safer infrastructure, there is little doubt that improved vehicle safety standards since the late 1990s have played an important role.
Improvements in the safety of new vehicles in Europe have been driven by mandatory EU and UNECE safety requirements for new vehicles and by Euro NCAP (the European New Car Assessment Programme), a voluntary consumer testing organization that carries out its own tests of many vehicles that sell in large numbers and awards safety ratings to them.
Euro NCAP’s evolving 5-star safety rating has come to represent the safety gold standard in Europe. The crash tests carried out by Euro NCAP are stricter than those required by regulation – and have also become stricter over time. A car that only meets the minimum legal EU safety requirements would receive a zero-star Euro NCAP rating. Since 2009, cars must perform well across four ‘boxes’ – adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assistance systems - in order to receive the top 5-star rating.
One important indicator of the level of vehicle safety in Europe overall is what proportion of the number of tested vehicles actually sold meet Euro NCAP’s highest safety ratings

22. Car fleet

23. Main conclusions
The road safety in Baltic countries is improved during last years and have one of the best reduction of deaths in EU;

24. Thank you for attention!