SWOV fact sheets
SWOV publishes fact sheets on a wide range of road safety subjects.
To the fact sheets.
SWOV Library
In the Netherlands the SWOV library is the national centre for road safety literature. Consult the online catalogue for recent publications
Visit ERSO for international road safety information
Knowledge base
- Sustainable Safety
vision, implementation... - Road safety developments
mobility, risk, casualties... - Road safety policy
targets, costs, benefits... - Road safety costs
crash costs, road deaths...
- Modes of transport
pedestrians, bicyclist, cars... - High-risk behaviour
alcohol, drugs, telephone, fatigue... - High-risk groups
children, youngsters, elderly... - Measures
education, enforcement, technology... - Data and analysis
sources, analyzing...
News Archive
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
| 2003 |
SWOV Newsletter October 2011
The October issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
19/10/2011
Road safety outlook 2020
SWOV has investigated whether the targets for 2020 in the Strategic Plan for Road Safety are still feasible. All the reports are in Dutch and have an English summary.
R-2011-12 Road Safety Outlook 2020 (main report)
R-2011-16 Reference prognosis for the Road Safety Outlook 2020
R-2011-17 Road safety effects in 2020 of new measures in relation with behavioural influence
R-2011-18 Road safety effects in 2020 of measures in relation with the safety of passenger cars
29/09/2011
Press release: Dutch driver drink-and-drives less than the average EU driver
The number of Dutch drivers who drive under the influence of alcohol is lower than the European average. Driving after having taken medication also shows a lower average in the Netherlands than in the other EU countries. Driving after the use of cannabis and amphetamines, however, is higher in the Netherlands than the EU average. These are findings of the European study called DRUID, which the Institute for Road Safety Research SWOV participated in and which publishes its results today. The research indicates that driving under the influence of alcohol is still a much larger problem than driving under the influence of drugs.
27/09/2011
SWOV newsletter September: parliamentary majority against cuts on subsidies for SWOV
During the General Consultation on Road Safety on 8 September a parliamentary majority appeared to oppose he cuts that the Ministry of Infrasture and the Environment intends to make on the subsidies for SWOV. The SWOV newsletter
of September provides more information about this subject.
Furthermore, the newsletter contains more information on the registration of Dutch road fatalities, the use of road safety knowledge in policy making by municipalities and the GHB usage of severely injured car drivers.
14/09/2011
Press release: road safety tastes defeat in municipal policy
Municipalities often give priority to other interests like journey time, public support and landscape instead of to road safety. Not only do municipalities find other interests more important, they often lack the knowledge about how to include road safety in their considerations. These are findings from the PhD research that was carried out by SWOV researcher Charlotte Bax. She defended her thesis on 14 September 2011 at Radboud University Nijmegen. Bax investigated the utilisation of scientific knowledge in Dutch road safety policy.
To the PhD thesis
14/09/2011
New estimation method throws more light on road traffic casualties in relation with alcohol
A new estimation method will provide more reliable information about the annual number of road fatalities in relation with alcohol in traffic. The casualties can be among drivers as well as among other road users. Until now, two different estimates were made, each based on different data sources. SWOV has now developed an estimation method that replaces both earlier estimates.
The new method indicates that over the past 10 years the estimated number of alcohol-related road fatalities has declined from 30% to about 20% of the total number of road fatalities. An estimated 17% of the 20% is related to the use of just alcohol, and 3% is related to a combination of alcohol and drugs.
SWOV report R-2011-13 Estimation of the share of road fatalities due to driving under the influence of alcohol describes how the new estimation method was developed.
To the report (in Dutch, with English summary)
07/09/2011
Press release: national registration of road fatalities in the Netherlands can and must be improved
The national registration rate of road fatalities should be increased from the present 84% to 100%.
The national registration is carried out in BRON (Register of Road Crashes in the Netherlands): the data file which contains the characteristics of road crashes and casualties as supplied by the police. This data is used as the basis for road safety policy in the Netherlands. However, there are road fatalities that are not registered as such and about which no information can therefore be found in BRON. The registration rate gradually declined in recent years, but in 2010 it showed a sudden fall from 90% to 84%. For seriously injured road casualties, the situation is even worse. The worsening of the registration undermines the basis for road safety policy and research.
The present registration of serious road crashes is below standard and must and can be improved.
This is one of the recommendations made in the SWOV report entitled The registration of road fatalities in the Netherlands (R-2011-10).
06/09/2011
SWOV newsletter July-August: the road safety effects of electric vehicles
The number of electric vehicles in the Netherlands is growing. That is good news for the environment, but what does this mean for road safety? The SWOV newsletter of July-August tries to answer this question.
Furthermore, the newsletter contains more information on the new fact sheet Public lighting and on the updated Cognos tables with registered numbers, registration levels and causes of death.
30/08/2011
New fact sheet: Public lighting
This fact sheet addresses public lighting of roads and streets, intersections and crossings using lampposts. The necessity of and reasons for public lighting are discussed, and the effects of an increase or a decrease of the luminance on the crash rate and on human traffic behaviour are looked at. The effect of lampposts as collision objects and the effect of public lighting on social safety are also gone into.
01/08/2011
SWOV newsletter June 2011
The SWOV newsletter of June is available online. This newsletter contains, among others, more information about the evaluation of traffic education programmes, fatigued driving and the safety gains of an integral approach for urban distribution.
29/06/2011
SWOV Annual Report 2010
The foreword and director's report of the SWOV Annual Report 2010 are now available in English on the SWOV website.
22/06/2011
Research Activities 46
The new edition of Research Activities, of Spring 2011, is now available online.
08/06/2011
SWOV Fact sheet: Bicycle facilities on distributor roads
The SWOV Fact sheet on bicycle facilities on distributor roads has been revised completely and is now available in a new English translation.
01/06/2011
SWOV newsletter May 2011
The SWOV newsletter of May is available online. This newsletter contains, among others, more information about the EuroRAP RPS method as a safety instrument and the effect on road safety of a higher age for compulsory medical testing to establish fitness to drive.
31/05/2011
SWOV press release: fastest routes must be safest routes
In existing road networks the safest route is not always the fastes route. Drivers, however, usually choose the fastest route. The fastes routes should therefore be adapted to also become the safest routes. This option could then be built into the software for navigation systems.
This is one of the recommendations in SWOV researcher Atze Dijkstra's PhD thesis En route to safer roads. Dijkstra obtained his PhD on12 May at the University of Twente.
To the thesis En route to safer roads
12/05/2011
SWOV Newsletter April 2011
The SWOV newsletter of April 2011 is available online. This newsletter contains more information about, among others, the integral approach of road safety issues, and the possibilities of a quality assurance system.
29/04/2011
New SWOV position: Recent international effects of demerit points system not necessarily the same in the Netherlands
SWOV expects the introduction of a demerit points system for all driver licence holders in the Netherlands to have an only modest positive road safety effect. This will mainly be a short-term effect during the first year after introduction.
14/04/2011
SWOV Newsletter March 2011
The monthly SWOV newsletter has been restyled. The first new issue, of March 2011, is now available online.
30/03/2011
Press release: Important role for parents in children learning safe traffic behaviour
Parents believe they have an important role in teaching their children safe traffic behaviour. Most parents are convinced that they are in an excellent position to familiarize their children with traffic. This is a conclusion in the report The role of parents in informal traffic education, published by the Institute for Road Safety Research SWOV.
24/02/2011
SWOV Newsletter February 2011
The February issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
16/02/2011
New SWOV fact sheet: Functionality and homogeneity
Functionality and homogeneity are two of the five Sustainable Safety principles. The functionality principle aims for roads to have but one exclusive function and distinguishes between traffic function (flow) and access function (residence). The homogeneity principle aims at differences in mass, speed and direction of vehicles using the same traffic space being as small as possible. This fact sheet discusses the concepts functionality and homogeneity and how they came into being. The fact sheet also looks at how these principles are put into practice, discusses some of the problems, and presents a possible solution.
28/01/2011
SWOV Newsletter January 2011
The January issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
19/01/2011
Research Activities 45
The new edition of Research Activities is now available and contains articles about, among other things, the following subjects:
- Informal education: parents as teachers
- The possibilites of Naturalistic Driving
- Safer interactions by enhancing social forgivingness
- Roundabouts in the Netherlands
- Preventive alcolocks for professional drivers
- From car to bicycle: road safety effects
20/12/2010
SWOV Newsletter December 2010
The December issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
17/12/2010
New SWOV report: Effects of roundabouts on road casualties in the Netherlands
This study evaluates the effects on road crash casualties and takes into consideration all crashes on all known roundabouts built in the Netherlands during the period of 1999 to 2005, not just a sample. Before and after crash and roundabout information is used and specific attention is paid to fatalities and (police reported) serious road injuries. The report also contains a cross-section comparison of road junctions and roundabouts.
12/11/2010
SWOV Newsletter November 2010
The November issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
05/11/2010
SWOV Newsletter October 2010
The October issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
08/10/2010
Safety Science about road safety management
SWOV's managing director prof. Fred Wegman and senior researcher Marjan Hagenzieker are the editors of the November issue of the scientific magazine Safety Science, which is entirely about traffic safety. Most articles in this special issue are based on the international workshop Scientific Research on Road Safety Management, organized by SWOV on 16 and 17 November 2009. About fifty experts from all over the world attended this workshop.
Safety Science is accessible for subscribers only, but the presentations of the workshop can be found on the SWOV website.
To the presentations
07/09/2010
SWOV Newsletter September 2010
The September issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
03/09/2010
Research Activities
The August 2010 issue of Research Activities is now available and contains articles about, among other things, intelligent vehicle systems and subjective safety.
18/08/2010
ITE Transportation Safety Award for Fred Wegman
On 10 August 2010, SWOV's Managing Director Professor Fred Wegman received the ITE 2010 Edmund R. Ricker Transportation Safety Award in Vancouver, Canada.
Each year, the Institute of Transportation Engineers ITE hands out the award in two categories: individuals and organizations. The individual award is given to a person who is recognized as a leader in the field of traffic safety through his/her safety activities in professional organizations, in the community, or in the performance of traffic engineering.
10/08/2010
SWOV Newsletter June 2010
The June issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
25/06/2010
New SWOV report: The relationship between road safety and congestion on motorways
A literature review of potential effects. R-2010-12
Mobility has been increasing significantly in the last few decades and will continue to increase. On road stretches which have insufficient capacity, traffic becomes congested. This literature review investigates the relationship between congestion and safety at road sections of the main road network (mainly motorways) and specifically looks at unstable and congested traffic conditions.
15/06/2010
SWOV Newsletter May
The May issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available online.
27/05/2010
SWOV Newsletter April
The April issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available on the website.
04/05/2010
New in the SWOV dissertation series: The X-factor
Young, inexperienced drivers have a higher crash rate than drivers in all other age groups. Two factors are involved in this high crash rate: their young age and their lack of driving experience. In her PhD research, Saskia de Craen investigated how the development of driving skills contributes to the decrease of the crash rate and which relevant processes play a role. On March 16, she successfully defended her thesis The X-factor; A longitudinal study of calibration in young novice drivers at Delft University of Technology.
16/03/2010
New fact sheets
Three new fact sheets are now available in English :
Road crash casualties in the Netherlands
01/02/2010
The first newsletter of PROLOGUE has been published. This project examines the feasibility of and the conditions for a large scale European Naturalistic Driving study. The newsletter provides more information about the project and about an international workshop that will be held on the 18th of February in Brussels.
29/01/2010
SWOV Newsletter January
The January issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available on the website.
19/01/2010
Research Activities
Research Activities 42, the December issue, has been published.
21/12/2009
Press release: New method gives more accurate figures on seriously injured casualties
A new method which was developed by SWOV makes it possible to determine the annual number of seriously injured road crash casualties more accurately than had been possible until now. This is one of the conclusions in the SWOV study Seriously injured road crash casualties in the Netherlands in the period 1993-2008. The method makes use of the international standard MAIS to determine the injury severity of casualties.
17/11/2009
Press release: Introduction of Different Payment for Mobility will have positive road safety effect
The introduction of Different Payment for Mobility will have a positive effect on Dutch road safety. Depending on the variant that is chosen, the saving could annually amount to 20 to 40 road deaths. The introduction of the rush hour rate will have a limited effect on road safety. Data from the coastal Randstad region show that an area tax in the vicinity of the major cities could result in an extra annual saving of 5 road deaths.
16/11/2009
Press release: 10 years of Sustainable Safety: Considerable decrease in fatality rate and number of traffic fatalities
Ten years after the Covenant Start-up Programme Sustainable Safety was signed, SWOV has assessed the results. Analysis of the development of the fatality rate and the number of traffic fatalities indicate that the measures that were implemented in the period 1998-2007 and that fit within the Sustainable Safety vision have in all probability been successful.
12/11/2009
SWOV Newsletter
The October issue of the SWOV Newsletter is now available on the website.
28/10/2009
Start meeting PROLOGUE
The European project PROLOGUE has officially started on 7 and 8 September, with a meeting in the Netherlands. The project examines the feasibility of and the conditions for a large scale European Naturalistic Driving study. All nine project partners were represented with at least two people.
29/09/2009
SWOV workshop: research into road safety policy
On 16 and 17 November 2009, SWOV organizes the international workshop Scientific Research on Road Safety Management. This workshop focuses on the methodological aspects of ex-post and ex-ante assessments of road safety policy. Approximately 50 experts from all over the world will participate in this workshop. On the basis of nine oral presentations they will discuss questions like
- How can we determine in a scientifically sound manner whether a road safety plan has had the desired effect?
- How can we make scientifically sound forecasts of the future developments for different policy scenarios?
- How can we determine the effects of quantified targets?
More information about the purpose of this workshop and the preliminary programme can be found here.
In the course of 2010 a Special Issue of the scientific journal Safety Science will be published. This issue will be edited by SWOV Managing Director Fred Wegman and will contain the papers of the nine presentations and some extra contributions.
22/09/2009
Research Activities
Research Activities 41, the August issue, has been published.
31/08/2009
European research project PROLOGUE has started
SWOV is the leader of the new European research project PROLOGUE (PROmoting real Life Observations for Gaining Understanding of road user behaviour in Europe) which has started in August. PROLOGUE will investigate the use and feasibility of a large-scale European Naturalistic Driving study. In Naturalistic Driving studies traffic situations and drivers are studied in a discreet manner by making use of small cameras and sensors in their own vehicles (sometimes alongside the road), during normal journeys and without a test supervisor. This gives a reliable picture of the drivers' natural behaviour and enables analysis of the interaction between road user, vehicle, road, and other road users under normal conditions, in conflict situations, and in crashes. This gives us a better insight in the factors that influence road safety and in the possible ways to make the traffic system inherently safe using, for example, in-vehicle technology, 'self-explaining' roads, driver training, etc.
SWOV coordinates the research. The other partners are CERTH-HIT from Greece, KfV from Austria, Loughborough University from the UK, Or Yarok from Israel, the Dutch TNO, the Norwegian TØI, the Austrian TTI and the Universitat de València from Spain.
PROLOGUE will continue until Augustus 2011.
More information about PROLOGUE
17/07/2009
New SWOV report: The influence of weather conditions on road safety
F. Bijleveld & T. Churchill. R-2009-9.
The annual number of road crash casualties fluctuates due to chance, mobility changes, changes in road safety measures, and other influencing factors, such as weather conditions. In order to better understand these fluctuations in road crash casualties, it is necessary to know how every factor relates to the changes in the number of crashes and casualties. This report focuses on an analysis of the effect of weather conditions (precipitation and temperature) on the number of road crashes and injuries in the Netherlands.
For a more general overview of this subject, see the recently updated SWOV fact sheet: The influence of weather on road safety.
29/06/2009
SWOV Annual Report 2008
The SWOV Annual Report 2008 is is now available on the SWOV website.
02/06/2009
Press Release: 30 km/h roads much safer than 50 km/h roads
30 km/h roads are considerably safer than 50 km/h roads. It is, however, possible to reduce the number of serious casualties still further. This is the research conclusion in the report Pedestrian and cyclist road safety on 30 km/h access roads published by SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research. The report only investigates crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists on 30 km/h roads.
29/04/2009
New SWOV report: The influence of vehicle mass on the injury rate in collisions between two passenger cars; A quantitative analysis. E.M. Berends. R-2009-5.
In the last decades, the dispersion of vehicle mass has been increasing, as has the average vehicle mass. This has consequences for road safety. Differences between vehicle masses have a negative effect on the injury and fatality rate of individual drivers of light vehicles, but also on the actual road safety. This report attempts to give a quantitative assessment of the influence of vehicle mass on the injury and fatality rate. Only collisions between two passenger cars have been analyzed.
29/04/2009
SWOV comment on the 2008 road safety data
In 2008, there were 750 road deaths in the Netherlands, 41 (5%) fewer than in 2007. This is a positive development. The number of road deaths is exactly the Dutch target for 2010: a maximum of 750 road deaths in the year 2010.
In the report 'Road safety in 2007: is a standstill a step backwards?' SWOV found last year that certain human traffic behaviours that are relevant for road safety did not continue to improve in 2007. This can possibly partly be attributed to stagnation in the increase or a decrease of the efforts of regional traffic enforcement teams. SWOV made the observation that there seems to be a standstill, and that in this particular case that could result in a step backwards. In 2008 the number of road deaths shows a further decrease. This decrease, however, coincides with a decrease of mobility. SWOV estimates that the number of road kilometres travelled decreased by some 4%. In 2008, the death rate (number of road deaths per billion kilometres travelled) is approximately equal to the death rate in 2007, while in previous years the death rate has been decreasing almost every year. Exceptionally, the death rate did not decrease in 2008.
22/04/2009
Professor Fred Wegman: making the new generation enthusiastic about road safety
Fred Wegman, Director of SWOV Institute for Roads Safety, has been Professor of Road Safety at Delft University of Technology since March 1. In Research Activities, the SWOV publication in the English language, he talks about his expectations and his core issues. He would like to inspire a new generation about road safety.
Read the interview in Research Activities.
22/04/2009
Research Activities
Research Activities 40 has been published.
22/04/2009
Symposium on effective road safety campaigns
Prompted by the findings of the European research project CAST (Campaigns and Awareness-raising Strategies in Traffic safety) a symposium will be held: How to achieve effective campaigning?; Answers for road safety practice. The Flemish-Dutch Symposium is organized by SWOV, the Knowledge Platform for Traffic and Transport (KpVV), the Dutch Ministry of Transport, and the Belgian Road Safety Institute (BIVV).
The symposium is intended for road safety and communication professionals. New views about influencing behaviour will be translated into an inspiring and practical application for the development and assessment of road safety campaigns.
The symposium will be held on 4 June 2009 in the World Trade Centre in Rotterdam (http://www.wtcrotterdam.nl). More information about the symposium's programme will soon be made available on this website.
More information about the CAST project can be found on http://www.cast-eu.org/
17/03/2009
Press Release: Fred Wegman professor of Road Safety at Delft University of Technology
Fred Wegman, Managing Director of the Institute of Road Safety Research SWOV has been appointed as part-time professor of Road Safety at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). From 1 March he will begin work at the Department of Transport and Planning of the Faculty of Civil Engineering for one day per week. Fred Wegman will continue his work as managing director at SWOV.
25/02/2009
SWOV begins pilot in-depth study of road traffic crashes
On 1 November 2008, SWOV began a three-year pilot in-depth study of road traffic crashes. Several in-depth studies are used to investigate the added value of this type of research for acquiring more road safety knowledge and for road safety policy. The Ministry of Transport has given SWOV an extra subsidy to carry out this pilot study.
Road safety of children in the Netherlands
In comparison with other countries, relatively few children in the age group 0‑14 die in traffic crashes in the Netherlands. Moreover, the number of casualties has decreased considerably over the past twenty years, more than it has for other age groups. This is partly due to a combination of measures with respect to infrastructure, vehicles, safety devices and education. In absolute numbers, children in the age group 10-14 years old in the category cyclists are the largest safety problem. The main reason is that at this age they take part in traffic as independent road users more frequently. More measures are required to further reduce the number of child traffic fatalities. Examples are measures concerning vehicle speed, the separation of fast and slow traffic, public information, and vehicle safety.
A new SWOV fact sheet about the road safety of children in the Netherlands will be published shortly. The Dutch fact sheet regarding this subject can be viewed here.
Press release: SUNflowerNext: A proposal to develop a composite road safety index for international comparisons
The recently published study SUNflowerNext draws the framework for a composite road safety index to compare the road safety performance and progress in different countries. Aim of a composite road safety performance index is to come to a better understanding of the road safety developments so far and to identify the possibilities to speed up further progress. The main results of the study will be presented to the European Commission on the 8th of January 2009.
Research Activities 39 is now available.
Press release: Time series analysis in road safety research
On 4 november 2008, SWOV researcher Frits Bijleveld successfully defended his thesis Time series analysis in road safety research using State Space Methods. The thesis takes the statistical approach to road safety issues as a starting point, for example: to what extent do specific developments or measures contribute to the decrease in the number of traffic casualties and what does that tell us for the future?
Press release: Traffic much safer for children younger than fourteen
The number of road crash casualties among children younger than fourteen has decreased considerably during the last decades. In 2005, 30 children in this age group were killed in traffic. In the late 1980s the annual number of fatalies was approximately 120. The decrease for this age group is larger than for other age groups. Their increased safety cannot be attributed to the fact that children had a lower traffic participation.
Continue...
New fact sheet Advanced Cruise Control(ACC)
SWOV has published a new fact sheet which discusses the possibilities and use of Advanced Cruise Control (ACC) and looks at the new developments.
Press release: SWOV study into the feasibility of fewer than 500 road deaths in 2020
SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research commenced a study into the question of how the annual number of road deaths can be reduced to fewer than 500 in 2020. This is sharper than the original target of 580 fatalities.
Press release: Fewer cyclists injured in crashes with motor vehicles; at the same time more cyclists injured as a result of single vehicle crashes
The number of cyclists that was admitted to hospital as a result of a crash involving a motor vehicle decreased in the period 1984-2005. However, the number of cyclists admitted to hospital as a result of a single vehicle crash increased. These are the cyclists who collided with another cyclist, a pedestrian, or who fell off their bikes. This is reported in the SWOV publication Cyclist hospital admissions; An analysis of crashes and injuries
To the press release
Press release: Road users quite good at compensating for unexpected behaviour
During each car journey you are likely to encounter risky situations, but they generally end well. This has little to do with miracles, but everything with the expectations (motorized) road users have about each other in traffic situations. SWOV's Maura Houtenbos discusses this issue in her PhD thesis entitled Expecting the unexpected which she will defend on January 8th 2008 at Delft University of Technology.
SWOV position: More consideration for road safety when judging road pricing effects
The Dutch cabinet has agreed to the Minister of Transport's proposal to introduce road pricing for all roads in the Netherlands, differentiated by time of day, location, and pollution characteristics. The cabinet decision closely follows the proposals which can be found in the Mobility Policy Document. SWOV is of the opinion that the road safety effects have not been taken into consideration sufficiently, and argues for more attention in the subsequent phases.
SWOV position: Use 'severely injured' as road safety indicator
Over the past decades, he number of in-patients as a consequence of road crashes has not decreased as steeply as the number of road deaths. After analysis of the data leading to these findings, SWOV has established that in-patients are not always severely-injured.
SWOV position: SWOV maintains its position: daytime running lights (DRL) is safer
As of 1 January 2008, it is no longer compulsory for motorists in Austria to drive with their lights on. Austria, however, is not opposed to daytime running lights. None of the currently available sources give SWOV any reason to doubt the previously demonstrated positive road safety effect of DRL.
Press release: In-car electronics and adjustments to intersection design improve the safety of the older driver
Specific in-car electronic assistance and adjustments to intersection design are good for the road safety of drivers aged 75 and above. These measures can keep them mobile longer, which in turn improves the quality of their social lives. This is what Ragnhild Davidse of SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research writes in her PhD thesis which she will defend on the 13th of December at Groningen University.
SWOV position: Demerit points driving licence and alcohol: the standards of police enforcement and campaigns crucial to success
Because of all of the attention and publicity for the introduction of a demerit points system it will initially have a positive road safety effect: drivers will alter their behaviour. The long term success of demerit points systems depends entirely on a sufficient level of police enforcement. SWOV expects the introduction of the alcolock to have a greater effect on heavy drinkers.
SWOV position: Accompanied driving from 17 years old: a good initiative
The Dutch Minister of Transport Camiel Eurlings wants to experiment with accompanied driving for 17 year olds. SWOV supports the minister's initiative, as it could be the first step toward the introduction of the graduated driving licence for the under-25s which SWOV is in favour of.
Setting the stage for the European Road Safety Observatory
On 1 June 2007, the SafetyNet – SUNflower workshop took place at Schiphol Amsterdam International Airport, organized by SWOV. The workshop addressed the connection between policy questions, knowledge and data. The starting point was the integration of the two projects, exploiting the main outcomes of SUNflower(+6) to enhance the structure of the European Road Safety Observatory.
Research programme 2003-2006 completed
SWOV's 45th anniversary coincided with the end of the four year programme 2003-2006. To celebrate this occasion SWOV organized a congress on April 26 2007 in the New Church in The Hague. A special publication was made to present the research results of this period.
European study of drugs and medicines in traffic begun
SWOV, together with the police, has started a large scale European study into the use of alcohol, drugs, and medicines in traffic: the DRUID project. Motorists who are breathalyzed at a regular alcohol check, are tested on the use of drugs or medicines on a voluntary basis.
Influence of emotions in traffic seriously underestimated
On November 30th Jolieke Mesken will obtain a PhD at the University of Groningen on her research of the effects of emotions on driving skills. The thesis is entitled Determinants and consequences of drivers' emotions. SWOV stimulates its researchers to obtain a PhD and offers its employees the possibility to carry out their PhD research within a SWOV project.
To the thesis
Dutch vision of successful road safety policy, Sustainable Safety, now internationally available
Sustainable Safety, the vision that has been an important basis for the successful Dutch road safety policy since 1992, has been updated and published under the title Advancing Sustainable Safety. This update is now integrally available in an English edition. On 3rd November the Dutch Minister of Transport Karla Peijs presented the first copies to her European colleagues at the EU Road Safety Conference in Verona, Italy. With this publication, SWOV wants to inspire the international road safety professionals with examples of how they too can improve road safety in their countries.
Read the SWOV press release...
SWOV: Keep minimum age for riding a motorcycle at 18
SWOV thinks it is unwise to permit 16 year olds to ride a light motorcycle (up to 125cc). A motorcycle has a much higher death rate than, for example, a car. Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable in traffic. On the one hand, this has to do with the vehicle itself and, one the other hand, it is due to the age-related unsafe behaviour together with lack of knowledge and experience.
SWOV position Demerit points system: level of police enforcement and public information crucial for success
All the attention, as well as the publicity, around the introduction of a demerit points system will initially have a positive road safety effect. Based on international experience and research it is known that the long term effect of demerit points systems depends on a sufficient level of police enforcement (chance of being caught).
Research Activities
Research Activities 32 - August 2006 - has been published. It contains articles about the SUNflower+6
project, about the Sustainable Safety principle of 'predictability, about measures to solve blind spot problems, and about many other topics.
Targets for road deaths 2010 and 2020 can be lowered
Fewer mopedists, less speeding and alcohol offences, and increased seatbelt use resulted in fewer road deaths in 2004 and 2005
The strong decrease in road deaths during the last two years was not coincidental. Part of the decrease was because mopeds were ridden less, there were less speeding offences, there was less drink-driving, and the seatbelt was worn more often. This is what SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research concludes in its recent report entitled: The essence of the decrease in the number of road deaths; Recent developments and new prognoses for 2010 and 2020.
In 2004 the number of road deaths decreased by 19% compared with 2003, to 881. In 2005 the number decreased further, by 7%, to 817.
To the report [in Dutch, but with an English summary]
SUNflower+6:
Comparative study of the development of road safety in nine European countries now available
Understanding the past in order to learn lessons for the future is the essence of the SUNflower methodology designed to compare the development of road safety in different European countries.
The number of road deaths continues to decrease
Karla Peijs, Dutch Minister of Transport, today made known the road crash figures for 2005.
To the Ministery of Transport's press release
Comparative European study:
Positive judgement about road safety in the Netherlands
The number of road traffic casualties has been decreasing during the last decades in many European countries, including the Netherlands. However, the speed at which the numbers are decreasing is probably insufficient to achieve the European Commission's target of 50% less road deaths in 2010 than in 2000. If the impressive decrease in the Netherlands since 2000 continues to 2010, this country with be an exception.
Read the press release
Pieter Jan Biesheuvel new Chairman of SWOV's Board of Governors
On 17th May 2006, Pieter Jan Biesheuvel was appointed as the new Chairman of SWOV's Board of Governors. He succeeds Frits Castricum, who was chairman for more than 10 years, and has resigned for health reasons.
SWOV reaction to the road crash data for 2005
Decrease in road deaths continues;
SafetyNet conference, 10-11 May 2006, Prague
SafetyNet is a large European traffic safety research project which aims to optimalize data gathering and data availability in Europe. This is an important issue because the information can be of valuable support for the decision making of policy makers. SWOV makes a considerable contribution to the project. 21 partners from 17 countries work together in this project.
At the 1st SafetyNet international conference high-level speakers will present different aspects of road policy. Data gathering and application is the key topic of the conference.
The SafetyNet-conferentie is particularly interesting and useful for those whose work involves road and vehicle safety, like policy makers, politicians, and NGOs.
For more information follow the link
Combined use of alcohol and drugs or several drugs leads to a
greater chance of severe injury in a road crash
A greatly increased chance of severe injury in a road crash occurs after
the combined use of several drugs, but especially after the combined use
of alcohol and drugs. Users of multiple drugs have a 25 times greater
injury chance than sober drivers. This chance is 35 times greater for
users of drugs in combination with alcohol. This was the result of a large
scale Institute for Road Safety Research SWOV study in the Tilburg police
district.
Read the press release
Read the IMMORTAL report R-2005-9
Daytime running lights save 45 road
deaths a year
Each year, 45 road deaths and 600 injured can be saved in the Netherlands
if cars keep their lights on during daylight hours, thus making them more
visible. This is the result of SWOV estimates based on research carried
out in a number of EU countries for the European Commission. The Institute
for Road Safety Research SWOV and the Netherlands Organization for Applied
Scientific Research TNO represented the Netherlands.
Read the press
release and the fact sheet
SWOV-reaction to accident figures 2004:
Fewer road deaths; but there are still enough
possibilities for even more improvements
On 27th April, Minister of Transport Peijs announced the road deaths for
2004. Compared with 2003, there was a striking and welcome decrease of
19%; from 1088 to 881. What was even more remarkable was the fact that,
during the last few years, no notable measures had been taken that could
explain such a decrease. SWOV expects that the number of deaths will decrease
even more if some of the measures are taken for which it is very reasonable
to assume that they will have a positive effect on road safety.
Read
the entire reaction
SWOV
position on proposed demerit points system law
SWOV expects that the road safety
effect of the proposed demerit points system will be slight, if the
level of police control remains the same. The introduction of this
demerit point system will probably improve road safety during its first
year. However, if the chance of getting a demerit point is small, this
effect will quite rapidly disappear.
Read more...
Fact sheet eye test
SWOV has analyzed the effect of a compulsory eye test for those of 45
years old and older. We expect only a very slight positive road safety
effect. You will find more detailed information in the fact sheet 'Road
safety effect of obligatory eye test for 45 year olds and older'.
Library closed
The SWOV library is moving to another floor and therefore will be closed
from October 29th till November 5th, 2004.
From then on, you will be welcome in our new library.
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Preliminary Data on Road Safety in Europe in 2003
Preliminary official data available from ECMT member countries reveal
considerable divergence in the evolution in road safety in European countries
in 2003. While road safety continues to improve seriously in Western European
countries and seems to be moving towards a real progress of fatalities
in Central and Eastern Europe, in CIS countries, however, road safety
indicators continue to deteriorate significantly.
Read
the ECMT-press release
EU-project SafetyNet launched
In June, the EU-project SafetyNet had its official kickoff. The
project aims to collect data on crashes and casualties in all 25 member
states of the EU. The data will be made available through the Internet,
allowing comparison on an international level.
SWOV is an active participant in the SafetyNet project, leading two work
packages while also contributing to three other work packages.
Over the next 18 months it is aimed to lay down the framework, to collect
and organize the data.
More detailed information is available on the special website safetynet.swov.nl
SUNflower continuation
The successful SUNflower study will be continued
under the name SUNflower+6.
SWOV, together with road safety research institutes in
the United Kingdom and Sweden, has compared these three countries with
each other. So the name was born: SUN is an acronym for Sweden, the United
Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The goal of the study was to discover what
had made the three countries' road safety policy so successful. The results
can be found in the detailed research
report .
The EU Commission found the results sufficient reason to agree to a continuation
study. The method and results of the first study will be used to analyse
the road safety problems in a number of other countries. The goal is to
determine the most effective measures. In the meantime, the continuation
study has started under the name of SUNflower+6. SWOV is the coordinator.
In addition to the original three SUNflower countries (Sweden, the United
Kingdom, and the Netherlands), six South- and South East European countries
will take part in this study. They are: the Czech Republic, Catalonia
(Spain), Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Slovenia.
More information can be found on the special website:
sunflower.swov.nl.
Road Safety is No Accident
7th April 2004 has been declared by the United Nations to be
Road Safety Day, with the slogan "Road Safety is No Accident".
Each year, worldwide, 1.2 million people are killed in traffic and 50
million are injured. It is for the first time that the consequences of
road crashes have been brought to everybody's attention, worldwide.
Read the entire article
Demerit points: a very slight road safety effect
The introduction of a demerit points system in the Netherlands
is expected to have very little road safety effect. International studies
show this. In spite of this, the demerit points system has been introduced
in many countries. Its popularity is very probably due to public opinion
considering it fair to punish recidivists harsher.
If such a system was introduced in the Netherlands for serious offences
only, which is, preferable to all offences seeing the limitations of the
so-called Mulder Law, this would only save a few deaths per year at the
most, given the current chance of being caught.
Read the entire SWOV-position
The Driving Licence Revolution: positive road safety effect
It is to be expected that the so-called driving Licence Revolution
will have a positive road safety effect. SWOV agrees with the general
line of proposals and is pleased that its research and advice have led
to this result.
SWOV had proposed earlier to raise the minimum moped age to 18 years.
As is mentioned in the letter to Parliament, estimates point to 18 being
the age limit which saves the highest number of lives (more than 45 a
year).
However, whether 17 or 18 years is chosen, it is a revolutionary plan
that proposes a fundamentally new approach to the driving course and the
preparation for the driving licence. It is expected to result in considerably
fewer road crash casualties.
Read the entire SWOV-position
SWOV at Intertraffic
From 30th March to 2nd April the Intertraffic
Trade Fair will take place In the RAI Congress Centre in Amsterdam.
This year, as always, SWOV will have a stand there. The SWOV stand will
be thé information point for the latest state of affairs in road
safety research. You can go there for research literature, for questions
about our Library Service and other SWOV services, and for our interactive
Knowledge Base. You will also be able to test your driving style and try
the Sustainably-Safe meter. You will find the SWOV stand in the "Europahal",
stand number 01.131.
NVVC-congress 2004
On 21st April, the National Road Safety Congress (NVVC) will take place,
with the theme "Working for a Maximum Effect". The congress
will deal with the possibilities of, even with less money, achieving that
which is desirable: i.e. considerably fewer road deaths and injured. The
main theme of the congress is to achieve the maximum effect with limited
resources by means of creativity, efficiency, effectiveness, sobriety,
and innovation.Visit the NVVC-website
for more information.
It is also possible to register via our website.
Dutch drivers want more road safety measures
A majority of the Dutch drivers supports the present traffic measures
or believes extra measures must be taken in order to improve road safety.
This is one of the results of a large-scale EU study called SARTRE, about
which SWOV published a report on 10th December. Measures that find a lot
of support are: more police surveillance, lower alcohol limits for new
drivers, introduction of a black box in the car, improvement of driving
education, road improvements, and more information.
SWOV carried out this study as part of the EU study among motorists, in
which their opinion about road safety was asked.
Read the press
release...
Information about safe use of Advanced Cruise
Control in the car is necessary
Motorists need to be informed about the safe use of Advanced Cruise Control
(ACC). Research of the Institute for Road Safety Research SWOV has shown
this is necessary. If used incorrectly ACC can result in more crashes,
even though it increases driving comfort ánd can contribute to
safety.
Read the press release...