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Traffic Safety Model

Objective

The initial study, presented in 1994, indicated a most interesting way to improve road safety. Statistics from the insurance company Folksam have been studied. The accident risk has been compared with the tax paid for each car model. It was shown that:
- Safe cars have considerably higher taxes and less safe cars are subsidised.
- The number of drivers and passengers killed and injured can be reduced by 50% if the con-sumer selects the safest car in each weight class.
- A fair tax, taking the accident cost into account, would be more than sufficient incentive for the consumers to select cars among the safest in each class. It will also encourage the car manufacturers to introduce safety features and safer models.

It is also shown that new cars with more advanced emission control are disfavoured compared to older cars with less sophisticated emission control. The result from the two studies is that the environment and the road safety can both be enhanced and there is no contradiction be-tween the two. The initial study was conducted in Sweden and the fundamental results will be no different for other European countries even if the values will be different.

A car safety declaration model will give the consumers important information. It will be a good complement to safety requirements, as laws and regulations define a minimum standard. The declaration can be a good basis for insurance premium and taxes and thus enabling a di-rect incentive to purchase and drive safer car to a benefit for everyone drivers, passenger, pe-destrians and the society.
A 50% reduction of the fatalities and serious injuries can be obtained with existing technology and further improvements can clearly be achieved with available and future technology.

Links with other projects, tasks, areas, programmes, policy actions:

This project comply to the full extent with the objectives of task 7.2/10. The project will con-sider design aspects and the influence on safety for vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians. Socio-economical methods will be used to evaluate the aspects. The project will result in a general method to evaluate safety improvements. Areas where Community intervention can be effective will be identified.

There is a clear link with the Green Paper on Fair and Efficient Pricing. The project will en-able safety aspect to be considered.

The work will be co-ordinated with EEVC and UN/ECE. The project will have a link to 7.2/12 specially how vehicle design influence the safety for vulnerable road user and the proj-ect will also need to use some results from task 7.2/9

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

ULTRALUX AB
EU contribution
No data
Address
Gustav Larssons Väg
40508 Göteborg
Sweden

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Total cost
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Participants (5)