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ETSC’s Conference on Best Practice in Transport Safety, October 2004

Coping with higher speeds....Improving Driving Habits on Highways

CEO René la Cour Sell,

The Danish Road Safety Council

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Improving Driving Habits

Agenda

• The Road Safety Situation in Denmark• The Political Situation• 130 km/h on Danish Highways (Motorways)• The Campaign• Current status

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Improving Driving Habits

The Situation in Denmark

2003

• 432 killed, 3868 badly injured, 4544 injured (less critically)

• 9 people killed per week (8 per 100000 inhabitants)

Population c. 5,3 mio.

Area c. 43000 km2

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Improving Driving Habits

1960 - 2003

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Traffic mia km

Killed

Traffic

Speed-limits, Safety belt

90-80 60-50

435 in 2003

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Improving Driving Habits

Challenges

Bulge in birth-rates• Large youth generation on its way• A growing group of elderly people

Both groups are high risk groups in traffic, so the numbers are working against us.

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Improving Driving Habits

The Political Situation

• In 2001 the present Danish Government won the election and the political majority in the Parliament (Folketinget).

• A part of the electioneering campaign was a promise to raise the speed limits on motorways from 110 km/h to 130 km/h

• The law was to enter into force April 30 2004.

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Improving Driving Habits

Selecting the motorways

• Not all of the Danish motorways were safe for the new speed limit. (The lanes were to narrow, the crash barriers insufficient etc.etc.)

• The Danish Road Directorate and the local Police authorities had to select c. 50 pct. of the motorways for the new speed limit

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Improving Driving Habits

Preparing the motorways

• 115 mio DKkr (c. 17 mio €) were spent on preparation – crash barriers, road signs, physical preparations etc.

• Police Authorities studied local statistics on road accidents on the selected motorways

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Improving Driving Habits

The Task• The Danish Road Safety Council has an obligation to inform about

new traffic resolutions

• In this case a rather delicate matter, since the raising of speed limits did not seem to be a step in the right direction towards reducing the number of killed and injured in road accidents

• Concern – increasing number of fatal accidents. Not only on motorway, but also a ”epidemic” effect on highways in general

• Possibility – chance to improve the existing driving habits

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Improving Driving Habits

Restrictions and penalties

Restrictions and penalties increased with the new law – intensified police control on the motorways.

Rather than focusing on the new speed limit, we decided to focus on a) driving habits and b) control and penalties.

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Improving Driving Habits

Key Messages

Address behaviour and driving habits:• Keep distance • Keep right• Show your intensions (indicate when overtaking and

emergency braking)• Slow down (when leaving the motorway)

Address fear of being caught:• Beware of intensified control and bigger penalties

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Improving Driving Habits

”See you on the road…””As long as I don’t lose

my driver’s license…!”

Fear of being caught is bigger than fear of getting hurt or hurting others…

…”hence we will be watching you!”SEE YOU ON THE ROAD

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Improving Driving Habits

Campaign Elements

• Posters (acceleration and deceleration lanes)• Advertisements• Internet www.130.dk• Radiospot• Media coverage• TV-spot…

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Improving Driving Habits

Political Status October 2004

• Legislation moving in the right direction. Penalties for speeding have increased further – also on other roads than motorways

• A driver’s license is on probation for the first three years

• If you commit three serious and hazardious actions in traffic within three years your driver’s license will be suspended

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Improving Driving Habits

Road Safety Status August 2004

The first couple of months with the new speed limit are promising and limits are respected.

Speed went down (110-area): 115,1 km/h to 111,0 km/hSpeed didn't go up (130-area): 120,4 km/h

(August 2003/2004)We shall, however, have to wait at least a year to draw conclusions,

our concerns thus remain the same:

• Will the number of accidents increase? • Will they not only increase on motorways, but on the rest of the

roads as well?