Project details

Objective

European Commission’s (DG MOVE) goal at the beginning of the European Road Safety Charter (in 2004) was to reduce significantly (by 25,000 until 2010) the number of deaths on European roads.

The solution

P.A.U. Education’s solution to achieve this purpose was to create a community of European stakeholders invited to submit their commitments to improving road safety in their countries. By signing the European Road Safety Charter (ERSC), signatories enhance Europe’s expertise on road safety as a whole and add a European dimension to their future actions. Our Signatories include companies, public authorities, associations, schools and universities, and the media. Signatories write commitments relating to vehicle safety, user behaviour, professional transport and accidentology and transform them into reality.

During the six years of contract (up to 2011, when ERSC entered a new stage, which we still coordinate, starting with 2011), we have organised – on a monthly basis – National Charter Tours in all 27 capitals of the Member States, where stakeholders met with national authorities and the EC representatives and publicly signed their ERSC commitments. Starting with 2009, we have added a new dimension to our ERSC Tours by adding them new events: National Citizens’ Forum, a place to debate and share good practice experiences with the civil society. We have welcomed in our Charter Tours transport ministers, prime ministers and high ranked European representatives.

In order to offer global recognition to the actions lead by the ERSC signatories, we have designed and coordinated the annual Excellence in Road Safety Awards ceremony, held in Brussels, at which the European Commission rewards the actions undertaken by signatories to improve road safety that helps contribute to the reduction of road fatalities.

The ERSC website (www.erscharter.eu), an interactive platform, was created to provide new and existing signatories, media and stakeholders with full details of this initiative and the benefits of joining. It is a constantly updated platform, which enables all signatories to come together and exchange their practices and experiences. We also offer dedicated online spaces for debate in the national and thematic communities that are available on the portal.