STATE-PUBLIC CONSULTATIVE COMMISSION ON THE PROBLEMS OF ROAD SAFETY NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR PROTECTION OF CHILDREN’S LIFE AND HEALTH IN THE ROAD TRAFFIC 2006 - 2010 SOFIA, DECEMBER 2005 2 Road traffic is an inseparable part of our daily life. It is a backbone of the economy and has strong influence on our culture. Unfortunately, the problems of road traffic, particularly in terms of safety, in the course of time have been pushed to the background while other problems of the society have been given priority. At he same time everybody demands and deserves to be able to use the roads safely. Today road safety of children road users is one of the most complex problems of our society in connection with healthcare. This problem is especially pressing because it is directly connected with the protection of children’s life and health today on one hand, and with the education of knowledgeable, well-behaving and disciplined road users tomorrow on the other. The general objective of this Strategy is to define the most important activities, the obligations of the various public institutions, to improve their mutual coordination, to create better conditions for road usage and halving the children-victims of road accidents by the end of 2010 compared to the average victims’ number of the period 1990 - 2001. STATISTICS In 2000 - 2004 due to accidents along Bulgaria’s roads 326 children younger than 18 years have perished and 5928 have been injured. Out of them, 52 younger than 6 have died and 586 have been injured, from 7 to 9 years of age 47 have died and 1252 have been injured, from 10 to 14 years of age 96 have died and 1993 have been injured, from 15 to 18 years of age 131 have died and 2097 have been injured. Each day more than three children become victims of road accidents. Out of them 43.2% are pedestrians, 39.4% are passengers and 17.4% are drivers of bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, carts, etc. The death rate is highest for children passengers. Road accidents comes third in the death causes chart for children aged 1 to 14, right after circulation diseases and poisonings, together with the other trauma cases. One thing should be noted - the responsibility for this high traumatism rate is borne by us, adults. At first place we don’t educate them in our capacity of parents, and at second, we are not always a good example for them. We don’s educate them in our capacity of teachers, and as traffic organizers we don’t create the necessary conditions for safe usage of the roads by children. Children, as road users, take different roles - pedestrians, drivers, passengers. Each of them conceals specific threats to children’s life and health while they are on the road. PEDESTRIANS For the period taken into account 2699 children have been run over by cars as pedestrians. Out of them, 30 younger than 6 have died and 353 have been injured, from 7 to 9 correspondingly 25 and 810, from 10 to 14 correspondingly 36 and 970, from 15 to 18 г. correspondingly 12 and 463. Out of all road accidents with children pedestrians run over by motor vehicles 95.3% have taken place in built-up areas. Out of them 87.7% are reported in towns and cities and 12.3% in villages. CHILDREN DRIVING BICYLCES AND OTHER VEHICLES For the period taken into account 1091 have become victims in their role as drivers. Out of them 2 younger than 6 have died and 22 have been injured, from 7 to 9 3 correspondingly 3 and 145, from 10 to 14 correspondingly 16 and 394, from 15 to 18 correspondingly 33 and 476. Out of the children cyclists run over by motor vehicles cases 89.5% happened in builtup areas. Out of them 74.5% happened in towns and cities and 25.5% in villages. PASSENGERS For the period taken into account 2464 have become victims in their role as passengers. Out of them 20 younger than 6 have died and 211 have been injured, from 7 to 9 correspondingly 19 and 297, from 10 to 14 correspondingly 44 and 629, from 15 to 18 correspondingly 86 and 1158. In general the children-passengers who have been killed or injured were travelling in their parents’, relatives’ and acquaintances’ cars and in 90% of the cases were not restrained. The analysis of road accidents with participation of children shows the existence of some “cause-effect” relationships, connected with their behaviour and that of the other road users; high conflict rate of the pedestrians, cyclists and drivers movement conditions; low passengers belt usage rate; inadequate visibility and understanding between the various road users, etc. Serious are the problems connected with the obligations of parents, teachers, the traffic law enforcement system, municipal authorities etc., for limiting the road accidents with participation of children. In order to achieve a sustainable improvement of the road safety situation, as provided by the European Action Programme for Halving the Number of Road Victims by 2010 (СОМ(2003)311), a complete revision of the policy in this field is necessary, and priority should be given to the complex solution of the problems related to the protection of children’s life and health in the road traffic, the life and health of the next generation. PEDESTRIANS І. Raising the public awareness of the need for greater safety for children pedestrians. Carrying out coordinated national and local information campaigns for raising public understanding for: 1. the relation between personal health and road safety. 2. the necessity for security of pedestrians in the road traffic on an equal ground with the other road users. 3. the way and extent to which engineering solutions can increase pedestrian safety such as traffic calming, separation of pedestrian traffic from the other traffic flows, better and full-range traffic rules violations enforcement by use of cutting-edge technical equipment. 4. the benefit and resource effectiveness of road traffic rules enforcement. ІІ. Change of the behaviour of pedestrians as well as of drivers in order to increase road safety when they use the roads simultaneously. 1. Education of pedestrians and drivers in mutual respect when they use the roads simultaneously. 2. Carrying out public awareness campaigns on the relationship between speed, breaking stretch, force of impact and risk of causing death to pedestrians. 3. Promotion of the society to support stricter enforcement of speed limit rules in built-up areas, especially in school and kindergarten zones and residential areas. Introduction of stricter legislation to ensure pedestrians’ right of way. Support for the use of 4 modern traffic control technologies - cameras for photographing red light, speed limit, parking on zebras and bus stops rules violations. 4. Development, announcement and proliferation of thematic curricula for training parents and drivers regarding the possible children’s behaviour and reactions in their role of pedestrians. Carrying out thematic conferences on the problems of children’s safety in their capacity of pedestrians. 5. Promotion of parents to educate their children, depending on their age, in the rules of safe behaviour as pedestrians. ІІІ. Improvement of infrastructure in order to facilitate pedestrian traffic At national level 1. Implementation of a policy promoting the municipalities to envisage actions for ensuring pedestrians traffic safety at the stage of planning of transport infrastructure. 2. Introduction of standards for road building raw materials which guarantee a high degree of pedestrian traffic safety. 3. Systematization and announcement of good practice to improve pedestrian safety. At local level 1. Promotion of local authorities to build sidewalks, bicycle lanes, children’s playgrounds and other structures in order to calm and regulate traffic such as speed humps, signalled and marked pedestrian crossings, pedestrian traffic lights, lighting of zones with intensive pedestrian and vehicle traffic, limiting of chaotic parking, etc. 2. Promotion of city planners, engineers, contractors and landscape architects always to have in mind pedestrian safety, especially children and disabled people, when planning new neighbourhoods or modify the existing ones. 3. Promotion of local authorities, designers and city planners do improve pedestrian access and safety when designing and redesigning of schools, recreation zones and shops. ІV. Development and carrying out effective programmes for safe walking 1. Development of programmes for prevention of children’s lives loss and injuries of children. Seeking cooperation with large commercial companies in order to implement these programmes. 2. Promotion of the public institutions responsible for road safety to prepare and carry out road safety training courses aimed at children. Promotion of the local departments of the public education system to draw safe routes to school. 3. Promotion of development of pedestrian safety plans which will take account of the community needs. Establishment of local pedestrian safety structures to coordinate the implementation of education programmes, to prepare and carry out public information and education campaigns, and to develop local pedestrian safety programmes. 4. Promotion of parents, teachers, school administrators, paediatricians employed by schools, kindergarten etc. who have responsibilities in the field of children upbringing, to identify, point out and support the solution of local road traffic problems. 5 V. Carrying out research to identify and fill the gaps in the citizens’ knowledge. Development of effective programmes based on the research results and turning of these programmes into state policy. 1. Assessment of the existing children pedestrians safety programmes through their systematic review which should select the working ones and activities based on them should be expanded to a larger territory, e.g.: - Educational programmes aiming at the reduction of the number of children who suddenly rush onto the carriageway, and at helping children cross the streets safely - Road traffic calming measures, e.g. roundabouts, road bumps etc. - Traffic rules enforcement measures cameras for photographing red light rules violations. 2. Research on the programmes’ economic effectiveness. 3. Identification of behavioural features which could help for the identification of the moment when the child is ready to cross streets on its own. 4. Identification of the necessary level of oversight on children in the different phases of their development. Development of appropriate standards for such oversight. 5. Development, carrying out and assessment of programmes which utilize adolescents guiding children in the field of pedestrian safety following the “the elder teach the younger” principle. VІ. Research aiming at measuring the children pedestrian traumatism levels and identifying the risk factors impacting it. 1. Identification and putting to the test of useful indirect indicators through which cases of children pedestrian traumatism could be foreseen. Making use of these indicators with the aim of tracking the programmes’ effectiveness. 2. Identification of the of the extent of exposure of children on risk of pedestrian trauma due to factors like: - the time which children spend on the street; - traffic density; - motor vehicles’ travelling speed; - number of traffic lanes, the availability of marked pedestrian crossings etc. 3. Development of systems for monitoring of local risk factors which should trace the causes for children pedestrians’ injuries, and should identify possible changes in the environment and behaviour which could prevent these injuries. 4. Arrangements for regular acquaintance of the community about the causes and conditions for each road accident precipitated a death of a child. CHILDREN IN THE CAR, ON THE MOTORCYCLE AND ON THE MOPED І. Raising the awareness of the community, the parents, the relatives, the teachers about the necessity for greater safety when transporting children. Carrying out of national and local campaigns for raising people’s awareness about: 1. Safe manner to transport children. 2. The possible risks, on which children are exposed during improper transportation, getting off/on a car, staying inside the car etc. 3. The most appropriate ways for diminishing these risks by using different means of protecting children: child restraint systems and protection helmets. 6 ІІ. Legislation amendments introducing obligations for motor vehicle driver to transport children safely. 1. Examination of the legislation and best practices of countries with enduring tradition in this field. 2. Introduction of obligation for drivers for safe transportation of children by using children restraint systems. 3. Wide public announcement of these legislation amendments. ІІІ. Stricter enforcement of the new legislation. CYCLISTS, MOPED DRIVERS, SKATEBOARDERS, ROLLER-SKATERS Children are extremely vulnerable in their capacity of drivers. This vulnerability stems from the very nature of the vehicles they use. Cars are outfitted with equipment and devices which reduce the possibility for severe injuries in an accident. However, this is not the case with vehicles used by children. Their construction is simple, their weight corresponds to the physical abilities of children and that is why the mechanical and electronic devices which are something common for cars are not present here. At the same time, these vehicles can reach some speed which is higher than that of walking or running, and higher speed increases the risk of injury on the fragile child’s organism. These are the main reasons for paying special attention in this Strategy to children drivers. І. Raising the community’s awareness of the threats which motor traffic poses to children drivers 1. Development and implementation of programmes for education of parents and adult drivers. This education should include knowledge about age peculiarities of children (what they can do and what they can’t do in their capacity of cyclists, motorcyclists, moped drivers, skateboarders and roller-skaters). Promotion of parents to take care of their children as road users, and to teach them in the relevant for their age road traffic rules. 2. Organization of children’s education in road safety from the driver’s point of view, from the earliest of age. 3. Organization of events and festivities which in the shape of shows will teach children in the principles of road safety. 4. Announcement and promotion of out-of-class physical activity implying education in road safety. 5. Widening the range of the National Applied Cycling Competition in all its directions, master driving, technical knowledge and first aid skills. 6. Constant acquaintance of the community about road accidents with participation of children drivers which have taken place due to loose parental control, giving the keys of the family car etc. ІІ. Increasing the restraint systems use rates of children drivers. 1. Clarifying to the community of the benefits from using restraint systems. Increasing the safety helmets use rates of children cyclists, skateboarders, motorcyclists, moped drivers etc. 7 2. Information campaign aimed at parents with the purpose of promoting them to exercise constant control over children drivers. 3. Clarifying to the community the benefit from the good visibility of children on the road which will be achieved by using light-reflecting elements and light-coloured clothes. ІІІ. Creation of better conditions for driving bicycles, skateboards and roller-skates. 1. Strengthening of the cooperation with the municipal authorities in order to provide safe places for driving skateboards and roller-skates as well as building of safe cycling lanes. 2. Where the environment does not allow the building of new cycling lanes, stricter traffic rules enforcement should be provided which would ensure the reduction of the risk of road accident with the participation of a child driver. 3. Safeguarding the school zones by means of traffic calming, organization and regulation. SUPPORT FOR AND WIDENING THE RANGE OF NATIONAL COMPETITIONS, QUIZZES ETC. 1. Promotion of development of educational films, literature and handbooks, computer games etc. in the field of road safety 2. Carrying out of national school quizzes and competitions. 3. Carrying out of national children’s paintings and essay competitions on the road safety topic. 4. Participation of children in school patrols and joint patrols with traffic law enforcement authorities or adults, etc. December 15th 2005