ITF launches a new report on “Road Safety in European Cities”

On April 11 2019, the ITF, International Transport Forum, published a new report on “Road Safety in European Cities”, focusing mainly on performance indicators and governance solutions in 72 urban areas, mostly in Europe.

The report, written by Alexandre Santacreu and Tatiana Samsonova of ITF, illustrates how governments can improve urban road safety through solutions already implemented in case studies like Lisbon (Portugal) and Riga (Latvia).

The report proposes new road safety indicators to assess the level of risk for each mode of transport, while considering all the differences in fatality risk for road users between cities.

The report

Notoriously, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are the most vulnerable road users; they make up about 80% of road fatalities in dense European urban areas. In this frame, car traffic in car-dependent communities creates a far greater risk for third parties involved in crashes.

The report found that modal shift away from private motor vehicles could significantly improve road safety in dense urban areas and deliver public health benefits associated with increased physical activity and improved air quality.

What is the ITF

The ITF is an intergovernmental organisation with 59 member countries. It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers.

The ITF works for transport policies that improve peoples’ lives while organising global dialogue for better transport.