40% Drop In Fatalities
During ROADPOL Safety Days
One of the hundreds of RSD events - in this case organized by Polizia di Stato in Perugia, Italy.
SEP 29 - 12 European countries registered ZERO road fatalities at the control day of the 2022 ROADPOL Safety Days campaign.
The news came after final completion of data received from 28 ROADPOL member countries of which 23 took active part in the European Roads Policing Network's flagship annual campaign. It was carried out in the week of 16-22 September with the goal of achieving the ZERO for at least one single day. The results were announced at an international press conference in Madrid, Spain, hosted by ROADPOL member, Spain's Guardia Civil.
23 countries participated in the campaign.Achievement
On the control day of this years campaign, September 21st, all participants reported either ZERO fatalities or a number considerably lower than the average. The 12 ZERO-death champions are Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway and Slovenia with their number unfortunately a little lower from 16 countries during the 2021 campaign. equal to the one of last years campaign. Overall 41 fatalities were reported on the day throughout the continent. The number represents a 41% drop down from the average 70 road deaths, which occur everyday on the roads of Europe.
Events 
The Police took part in numerous events in kindergartens in Bulgaria.824 public events were organized during the week with the aim of attracting public attention to the subject of road safety and safe mobility including initiatives from governmental and civic organizations, educational institutions and private companies. There were 2376 pledges for responsible road behavior signed online and numerous copies signed on paper. The number of online pledges represents an 86% surge as compared to 2021 campaign due predominantly to a parallel social media campaign by national police forces and ROADPOL.
The results were announced at a press conference hosted by Guardia Civil in Madrid.Challenge
“Until today, COVID has killed 6.5 million people worldwide, based on data of the WHO and over the last decade, at least 13 million have died on the world’s roads. All this global reaction to the Covid pandemic has revealed how policymakers and our societies can work together when most people adopt a common goal. So, a question emerges: Can we pay the same attention to road safety? Will we make road users understand that human life is easily lost and needs to be protected?”, said ROADPOL Safety Days project manager Tasos Ashikkis of Cyprus Police. “We have to intensify our efforts because 70 persons lose their life daily on the roads and streets of the EU with the relevant number for the whole European region at 220“, Ashikkis added.
Mission
President Volker Orben"The RSD campaign clearly explains what road users can do so that the “Stay Alive and Save Lives” slogan comes true. All road users are asked to obey traffic rules. Because 90% of road crashes are due to wrong human behaviour which is essentially an offence against traffic law. European Commission is targeting Vision Zero, which means no one will die on the roads. A vision, yes. But RSD show an approach how this vision can become reality”, said ROADPOL President Volker Orben. In his speech he also welcomed the first ever Ukrainian police officers attending the ROADPOL Council meeting with a vision for further cooperation and strongly condemned the Russian aggression in the country.
The event marked the first time Ukrainian police officers attended a ROADPOL meeting. PHOTOS: ROADPOL MEDIAThe ROADPOL press conference was attended by the Undersecretary of the Interior Isabel Goicoechea Aranguren, the Director General of Traffic Pere Navarro Olivella, Lieutenant General Operations Commander of the Guardia Civil Félix Blázquez González and Major General Head of Traffic Unit of the Guardia Civil José Ignacio Criado García-Legaz.
