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Traffic safety in Nordic countries in 2006 The death toll and the number of injured in traffic show different results in the Nordic countries during the year 2006. According to the statistics, there is a decline in the amount of accidents, but it is clear that traffic education needs to be developed further if the set goals are to be achieved. Finland In Finland, the number of serious accidents declined in road traffic. Compared with the situation the previous year, the number of fatalities decreased by 10 per cent as the preliminary figures for 2006 are 330 dead and 8,500 injured in traffic. For every 100,000 inhabitants, 6.3 people perished in road traffic accidents. The target for year 2010 is to reduce the death toll down to 250. In order to realise this, the number of head-on collisions and single-car accidents must be reduced. The battle against drunk driving is also very important for traffic safety. Sweden In Sweden, 431 people died and around 4,000 were badly injured according to the preliminary statistics. There was a slight increase in the number of injured, but the number of deaths declined by five per cent. For every 100,000 inhabitants, 4.76 people lost their lives in traffic accidents. In accordance with Vision Zero, the Swedish Parliament has set a preliminary target for the year 2007 to reduce the death toll to 270 with regards to road traffic accidents in Sweden. In order to reach this goal, driving speed in traffic needs to be adjusted. With help from the new speed limit system, the authorities attempt to make the motorists abide by the speed limits, and thus save an additional 40 human lives every year. The most alarming issue is the huge increase in amount of deaths for motorcyclists and moped drivers. Last year saw a dramatic rise in accidents, in which a motorcyclist was involved, and the number of injured moped drivers was the highest since the mid 1980’s. Last year the Swedish Road Administration put forward several measures for the Swedish Government to make driving safer for moped drivers. These included e.g. registration, driving license, transportation and education. Together with the Swedish Motorcyclists Association (SMC), some of these proposed measures will be taken, but the corporate world should also be involved in this project. Norway In Norway, 244 people died in traffic accidents in 2006. This accounts for an increase of 8.9 per cent in comparison with last year. 906 people were injured. The number of pedestrians that died in accidents also increased. The majority of victims were over 65 years old. Trygg Trafikk, the Norwegian Council for Road Safety, wants to establish a new 30 km/hour speed limit in residential areas in order to increase the safety of school children and cyclists. The death rate per 100,000 inhabitants has not been calculated. Denmark In Denmark, the 2006 statistics show a decrease in the number of fatalities in accidents: 315 people died in traffic. This means a decrease of 4.8 % in comparison with the previous year. There was a decrease of 1.6 % in the number of injured and the preliminary figure for injured shows 6,485 people. The death rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 5.8 per cent. The Danish authorities have launched a slogan "Each and every accident is one too many” and it aims at decreasing the death toll to 300 by the year 2012. A new plan of action is also under implementation. Young people aged 16-24 are strongly overrepresented in the statistics. Authorities try to decrease the number of accidents by educating young people about the dangers of drunk driving, use of seat belts and by setting new regulations for speed limits. Iceland In Iceland, 31 people died in road traffic last year. There is a two per cent decrease in comparison to the year 2000, which was the worst during the last 20 years. A lot of new measures for improving road safety are planned for 2007. These measures include more effective control by the police, education and implementation of speed monitoring cameras. Improvement of the road network is also included in the plan. Faroe Islands In the Faroe Islands, four people died in traffic accidents, which accounts for a decrease of 20 per cent. The number of injured decreased by 23 % to 87 people. The death rate per 100,000 inhabitants was 8.3 people. The target is to diminish the number of deaths by 30 per cent until year 2015. The most vulnerable group of people in traffic are drivers and passengers aged 15-24. In order to achieve the general goal, the authorities are planning to implement a system of issuing special driving licenses for young drivers. During this year, a strategy will be formulated in order to realise the vision of 2015. Persons killed in road traffic accidents per 100 000 inhabitants in the nordic countries |
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Nordiska Trafiksäkerhetsrådet (NTR) - Nordic Road Safety Council (NRSC). Webbredaktör: carolina.samuelson(at)ntf.se |
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