DEKRA Trafiksäkerhetrapport 2020

Risken att skadas i trafiken för användare av tvåhjulingar måste minskas!

Nu finns DEKRAs senaste trafiksäkerhetsrapport ”Road Safety Report” tillgänglig.  Årets tema är ”Mobility on Two Wheels”.

Sedan 2008 har DEKRA publicerat den årliga europeiska trafiksäkerhetsrapporten. Publiceringen av trafiksäkerhetsrapporten kompletterar DEKRA: s åtagande för trafiksäkerhet, som startade för över 90 år sedan. Rapporten finns att ta del av via länken neden.
I år medverkar Claes Tingvall som ger sin syn på hur säkerheten kan förbättras för tvåhjulingar. Claes Tingvall är mest känd som mannen bakom Nollvisionen, en strategi som revolutionerat trafiksäkerheten i Sverige och många andra länder.
I Claes Tingvalls inlägg berättar han om förslagen om införandet av maxhastighet i stadskärnor på 30 km/t samt hur tekniken med  geostängsel kan minska risken för olyckor på utsatta platser i trafiken.
DEKRA presenterar i årets Safety Report en rad andra effektiva åtgärder som internationellt skulle minska risken och antalet som skadas på tvåhjulingar.

DEKRA Safety Report 2020

High Crash Risk for Users of Two-Wheelers

Must Be Brought Down Effectively
· Crash statistics from Europe and the world reveal significant need for action
· DEKRA gives specific recommendations for greater safety
· European Commissioner: “Human errors should not lead to death”
Whether motorized or not – riding a two-wheeled vehicle has been the “in” thing since long before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. It has to be said that, compared with cars, vans and trucks, two-wheeled modes of transportation carry a significantly higher risk of being involved in a serious crash. Cyclists are highly vulnerable road users and are likely to come off worst in the event of a collision. “There is a whole host of things we can do to counter this trend with a lasting effect,” said Clemens Klinke, member of the DEKRA SE Management Board, at the presentation of DEKRA’s Road Safety Report 2020. He said that in addition to measures in areas such as improvements to technology and infrastructure, road users themselves had a role to play. “We all have a duty, by conducting ourselves in a risk-aware manner and abiding by the rules and safety standards in place, to make our own contribution to bringing down the number of crashes involving motorcyclists, moped riders, cyclists, pedelec riders and e-scooter riders in the long term,” said Klinke. “Road safety is one of my key priorities,” said European Commissioner for Transport, Adina V•lean, in a video message. “We must not relax until we achieve our goal: zero fatalities and zero serious injuries on European roads by 2050.” The DEKRA Road Safety Report 2020 rightly pointed to the role of human error in crashes involving two-wheelers, said the Commissioner. “Indeed, errors play a major and often tragic role. But we must remember that it is human to make mistakes, and mistakes should not lead to death and serious injury,” she said, stressing the importance of safe infrastructure and vehicle technology. For years, motorcyclists and cyclists have made up around 25 percent of fatalities worldwide. The situation is similar in the EU, for example in Germany – where around a third of accident-related fatalities in 2019 involved bicycles or powered two-wheelers. These few figures alone show that there is still a significant need for action when it comes to road safety for two-wheeled vehicles, especially as the use of two-wheeled modes of transportation is set to rise even further over the next few years. This need for action applies to powered two-wheelers – whether they are used for recreation or for commuting – and, particularly, to bicycles with and without electric assist features. “Without the protective shell of a vehicle around them, cyclists, as road users, always run the risk of receiving serious and even fatal injuries in single vehicle accidents and particularly in collisions involving other vehicles,” Klinke pointed out at a digital event held at DEKRA’s group headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The DEKRA Road Safety Report 2020 highlights where action needs to be taken. Insufficient risk awareness, flouting the rules of the road, excessive speed, driving under the influence of alcohol, distraction and insufficient consideration for other road users are the main factors responsible for accidents  involving riders of twowheeled vehicles. “This doesn’t have to be the case,” suggested the DEKRA Management Board member, “because these tendencies can be efficiently counteracted by responsible behavior, interaction and communication between road users, and the proper assessment of one’s own capabilities.” The wearing of a suitable helmet is also a crucial safety factor. This is particularly important for cyclists, where there is the potential to dramatically reduce the risk of serious head injuries in the event of an accident – as impact tests carried out
by DEKRA have clearly proven.