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4th European Red Cross Road Safety Campaign: efforts stepped up to reduce road crashes by launching new interactive road safety toolOn 6 June 2008 the EU Red Cross National Societies launched a new interactive road safety training tool designed as a support for Red Cross Societies and other organisations, as well as teachers, youth workers and road safety practitioners who want to set up road safety programmes in their countries.
The Resource Pack includes background statistics and information on road crashes, as well as exercises and other tools designed to raise awareness of road safety, influence behaviour (education on road safety and First Aid), form partnerships and build community capacity. The material also aims to provide Red Cross Societies and partners with the necessary knowledge and tools to help 7-11 year old children understand the dangers of road traffic and learn about First Aid in real-life situations. According to the latest Eurostat report, road traffic accidents in the Member States of the European Union claim about 43,000 lives annually and leave more than 1.8 million people injured, representing estimated costs of 160 billion euros. “Since 2001 EU Red Cross National Societies have joined forces and have created valuable insights in good road safety practices, views and initiatives. We have therefore decided to facilitate the exchange of experiences and networking by producing this Resource Pack and making it available to as many people as possible, be it within or outside the Red Cross.” – says Luc Henskens, the Director of the Red Cross/EU Office. The Resource Pack was successfully tested by Red Cross Societies between October 2007 and March 2008 in the following countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. More than 29,000 participants (children, teachers, parents, road safety practitioners and media) have been engaged in the process of piloting of the Resource Pack. Each year, Red Cross Societies train more than 3 million Europeans in First Aid in order to help people develop basic life-saving skills to use at the scene of a road crash or in other life-threatening situations to become more responsible for their own safety as well as the safety of others and to avoid becoming the victim of a road crash. Red Cross Societies are working to improve road safety by mobilising individuals, communities, organisations, decision-makers and other partners around this issue. With the last four road safety campaigns, the European Red Cross Societies have contributed concretely to the European Union objective of reducing the number of deaths on the road by half by the year 2010, in co-operation with many partners, which include numerous associations, schools, local authorities, Red Cross volunteers, the European Commission and private sector companies such as Toyota Motor Europe and TomTom. To highlight the importance of First Aid for making European roads safer, a common position paper was also presented to the European Commission. The recommendations to the EC aimed at reducing the number of people who are killed or injured on the roads are as follows:
The Red Cross will continue to encourage individuals, communities, organisations and other stakeholders to improve road safety in Europe. Source and more information: To organise interviews, please contact: infoboard@redcross-eu.net or visit http://www.redcross-eu.net |
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