Our latest round-up of road safety news from across Europe – courtesy of TISPOL – includes details of a continent-wide focus on speed enforcement.
The purpose of the operation, which runs from 12-18 August, is to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding – reminding drivers to travel at speeds that are both legal and appropriate.
During the operation, police officers will use a number of speed detection methods, aiming to detect offenders on all types of road.
TISPOL is urging drivers to ‘challenge their own attitude to speeding’ – adding that anyone who believes speeding is a trivial offence ‘needs to think again’.
Meanwhile in France, wreckage of crashed cars will be displayed on roundabouts, as part of a campaign designed to ‘make an impression’ on drivers.
Roundabouts in the Yonne region – southeast of Paris – will see the remnants of wrecked vehicles, alongside road safety warnings to ‘make drivers think about the risks and the often dramatic consequences of dangerous driving’.
The scheme will be tested in two local villages before authorities decide whether to expand it to other areas.
In Ireland, a road safety review has found that almost 80% of road deaths happen on country roads – with Sunday the most deadly day for fatalities.
So far this year, 70 people have died in road collisions – 79% of which occurred on rural roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or higher.
Finally, in Finland, 40% of people claim to have been involved in a dangerous incident on a pedestrian crossing, according to a survey.
The survey, commissioned by the Finnish Road Safety Council, also suggests that 20% of Finns are afraid to cross the street – even on familiar ‘crosswalks’.
However, around 60% believe using pedestrian crossings is safe in general – with about half believing motorists in Finland generally give way to pedestrians at crosswalks without traffic lights.
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