An examination of the national road-safety programs in the ten world's leading countries in road safety

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined the national road safety programs carried out by the ten world's leading countries in road safety, aiming to identify the most effective interventions that contributed to safety progress in those countries and to consider the possibilities of their application in Israel. Method: The best-performing countries were selected from European and other developed countries, using general safety indicators and the rate of road safety improvement achieved recently. The program documents and related reports published in the countries were screened aiming to sum up safety problems in the countries examined, safety interventions recommended for implementation by the countries' programs and evidence of the efficiency of those interventions. Results: Detailed classifications of safety problems and measures/interventions implemented by the countries' programs were produced. Evidence of the efficiency of safety interventions was collected in terms of associated accident reductions and the scope of measures' implementation during the program's performance. The study demonstrated a high similarity of main safety problems characteristic for the majority of leading countries, and for Israel. Thus, the summaries of safety interventions adopted by those countries were applicable for addressing similar problems in local conditions. Most safety interventions associated with the countries' safety progress over the last decade came from the well-recognized areas of infrastructure and enforcement, whereas for some common safety problems, e. g. motorcyclist injury, driving fatigue, elderly vulnerability, prominent solutions are lacking. Conclusion: The research findings can serve as a basis for developing a new national program for promoting road safety in a country. © 2012 The Author(s).