Project EDWARD (European Day Without A Road Death) happens tomorrow to arise awareness of road safety and how and why fatalities occur. Gardai will be promoting the day in the media and on other outlets, such as motorway overhead warning displays.
The latest statistics for road deaths show a reduction of 24 for the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period in 2016. However, they also reveal that 111 people have died so far. Of the total, drivers accounted for 46 deaths, pedestrians for 21, passengers for 18, cyclists for 11 and pillion or other passengers for 1.
Sadly, behind each statistic is a human tragedy that may have affected many, many people. In some cases a death, or deaths, could have been easily avoided.
All road users are being asked to reflect on risks.
TISPOL (the European Traffic Police Network), which includes An Garda Siochana, is hoping to get that message out tomorrow with a campaign to get all road users to think "even for a few short minutes" about risks.
TISPOL says driver behaviour remains the most important barrier to progress as we approach 2020 and its reduction targets.
"Drivers are unwittingly or sometimes knowingly putting other road users in so many ways, perhaps by speeding, drink-driving, not wearing a seat belt, using the phone while driving, using vehicles they have not kept roadworthy, parking their cars on bicycle lanes, blocking pedestrian crossings, not turning on their lights or engaging in risky manoeuvres.
But it’s not just drivers who are at fault. Many cyclists and pedestrians increase their risk levels by choosing to ignore the rules or look for risky short cuts. In the days leading up to the Project EDWARD day, we want all road users to think – even for a few short minutes – about the risks they face, the risks they may pose to others and how they can go about reducing those risks.
TISPOL’s (European Traffic Police Network's) target is that no one should die on the roads of Europe on Thursday. And as we pause to reflect on how we use the roads, we believe that Project EDWARD can make a significant contribution towards further sizeable and sustained reductions in road death and serious injury.
So whether you represent a national government, a private organisation, a public agency, a charity, a school, college or university, or whether you simply care as an individual, please join us and make the pledge to support Project EDWARD, and do your bit to reduce risk and improve safety for the people who use our roads.
The project us supported by An Garda Siochana.
Project EDWARD is supported by all 30 TISPOL member countries (TISPOL is the European Traffic Police Network), and a growing number of well-known brands and road safety organisations have pledged to work with TISPOL to promote the messages of EDWARD as far and wide as possible. We hope that, with support from colleagues and partners across Europe, Project EDWARD will be a high-profile way of reminding everyone that there is a great deal of hard work going on across Europe towards 2020 casualty reduction goals – and beyond that, too.
We want everyone to feel part of this and to know that small actions lead to big improvements".
