Rapid ITS deployment makes roads safer

Brussels, 20 January 2008. ERTICO-ITS Europe held today a breakfast workshop at the European Parliament, hosted by Zita Gurmai MEP. High-level speakers presented their views on ”Road Safety- ITS solutions for new Member States”, and on the ITS Action Plan, issued by the European Commission in December 2008. ERTICO has long been working for the development and deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems, and welcomes the commitment of all EU institutions to bring ITS into the daily life of European citizens and making transport safer, greener, and more efficient.

More than 30 experts from ERTICO Partner organisations, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and EU Member States’ diplomatic representations attended a debate on the role of Intelligent Transport Systems and services in improving road safety in the new EU Member States. A lively and interactive discussion evolved around the question of how ITS can contribute to the aim of halving road fatalities by 2010, a common objective of the European Commission and ERTICO.

Zita Gurmai MEP addressed the audience highlighting the achievements already made in cutting the number of road fatalities in Europe. However, she stressed, more effort was needed. “It is our responsibility to save lives. Each and every life counts. Intelligent Vehicle Systems such as Electronic Stability Control and eCall could substantially reduce the annual death toll on European roads, particularly in the new Member States” Mrs Gurmai said.

Thierry Van der Pyl, Director for Components and Systems at the Directorate-General Information Society and Media, presented the Intelligent Car Initiative as the framework for DG INFSO's activities which support road safety. He said: “the emphasis is in research, but also deployment and regulatory actions are needed, and in these areas the Commission services work together. The Intelligent Car Initiative has been very successful in bringing road safety forward; however in the current economic situation, the future of the industry, especially the automotive industry is a special concern, and the Commission has already reacted in the form of the Recovery Plan which contains the Green Car Initiative.” Acknowledging the difficult situation concerning road safety in the new Member States, he added ”the use of new technologies will bring relief, but they need to be introduced in combination with other road safety measures. Technologies which can bring immediate benefits are ESC and eCall, and we should see how they can be quickly deployed.”

Fotis Karamitsos, Director for Maritime Transport, Galileo & Intelligent Transport at the Directorate-General Transport & Energy, presented the European Commission’s Communication on the ITS Action Plan. He emphasised that “there is an urgent need to speed up the deployment of interoperable ITS  across Europe in a well coordinated manner. This shall take into account the existing differences in road infrastructure development and ITS deployment in the Member States. Interoperable systems and continuity of ITS solutions within countries and across borders will increase transport efficiency and have positive effects on the environment. ITS-based road safety applications and specific measures targeting their safe on-board usage and applying to vulnerable road users will save lives and prevent injuries.”

Emanuel Šíp, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic, offered a comprehensive overview of the road safety situation in his country, and measures taken to cut the number of road fatalities. He stressed that “despite the efforts in recent years, the level of road safety both in the Czech Republic and the entire EU is still unsatisfactory. Improving safety of all transport modes is an issue dear to the heart of the Czech Presidency. We are committed to pushing for faster deployment of ITS along the lines of the ITS Action Plan.”

Hermann Meyer, ERTICO’s CEO, wrapped up an interesting morning full of new insights. “ERTICO welcomes the strong commitment of the European Commission to accelerate the market introduction of Intelligent Transport Systems and services. I am convinced that the rapid Europe-wide deployment of ITS solutions will revolutionise mobility to the benefit of society. As a result, we will not only have safer roads, ITS also represents an important business opportunity for Europe,” Mr Meyer concluded.

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Notes to the editor

About ERTICO – ITS Europe:
ERTICO – ITS Europe was set up in 1991 at the initiative of leading members of European industry, Ministries of Transport and the European Commission. ERTICO supports the development and deployment of ITS solutions to achieve safe, efficient, clean, secure and affordable mobility in the EU and beyond.

To this end, ERTICO initiates and contributes to research, development and deployment projects. In addition, it provides a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas to increase the benefits and marketability of ITS systems and services. ERTICO also works to enhance the awareness of ITS benefits amongst decision-makers, opinion leaders and the general public through a variety of activities including Congresses and European showcase events.
 
Key ERTICO activities linked to ITS Action Plan:
ERTICO has been working towards the optimisation of road, traffic and travel data since many years with public and private players, throughout various fora. ERTICO is currently hosting TISA, the Traveller Information Services Association which has been created in 2007 to ensure a single market-led technology for traffic and travel information. The association has provided a single platform to openly discuss new requirements, creating and maintaining a market focus and ensuring one consistent set of standards for the future for various existing and future technologies.For more information on TISA, please visit www.tisa.org.

The interoperability of electronic road tolling systems has been a priority for ERTICO. The ERTICO led RCI (Road Charging Interoperability) project has demonstrated a technical solution for interoperable tolling. The project showed successfully how prototypes developed by the consortium operated seamlessly in 6 different tolling environments without any user intervention. More information on the RCI project is available at www.ertico.com/en/subprojects/rci/home/.  

Road safety and security has always been one of ERTICO’s core activities. ERTICO strongly supports the implementation of eCall as an EU wide public service. The eSafety initiative brings together the European Commission, public authorities, industry and other stakeholders in a drive to accelerate the development, deployment and use of eSafety systems. The main aim is to contribute to the European Commission’s 2001 goal of halving the number of fatalities on Europe’s roads by 2010. ERTICO is hosting the eSafety Support secretariat. For more information, please visit www.esafetysupport.org.  

ERTICO has been leading new developments integrating vehicles in the transport infrastructure. Being the coordinator, ERTICO plays a leading role in the CVIS project, which explores the future of cooperative vehicle systems. Cars that can talk to each other and communicate with the road infrastructure are a giant leap forward for road safety and efficiency of transport. To learn more, please visit www.cvisproject.org/.

For more information, please contact:
Selma Neuber
Corporate Communications Officer
ERTICO – ITS Europe
Tel:   +32 (0)2 400 07 40 (direct)
s.neuber@mail.ertico.com

www.ertico.com