In 2022 around 20,600 people were killed in road crashes last year in Europe – EU and UN target is to halve the number of road deaths by 2030. However, progress is very uneven between Member States and candidate countries:
An above-average number of people are killed in road accidents in Eastern Europe. The number of persons per million inhabitants, who were killed in road accidents in Bosnia and Herzegovina (67) is far above the EU average (45).
Young adults and novice drivers are particularly at risk. One in four people killed in road traffic accidents is between 15 and 30 years old. More than a quarter of all road accidents are caused by young drivers and novice drivers.
Together with the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Srpka, Nedeljko Čubrilović, representatives of driving schools, the Road Safety Agency and representatives of AMS RS, EAC-President Holger Küster exchanged views on measures to counteract this trend.
Role model Austria: multiphase-training for Republic of Srpska
To reduce the disproportionately high accident involvement of young drivers, EAC advocates the adoption of the so-called multi-phase training from Austria.
The multi-phase training obliges novice drivers to complete two perfection drives and a driving safety training course, combined with a traffic psychology interview, within one year of obtaining their driving licence.
Since 2003, Austria has been relying on a compulsory second phase of training for novice drivers - with success:
The number of injured young drivers has been reduced by 63% since the introduction of multi-phase training.
"Multi-phase training has contributed significantly to reducing the number of accidents in Austria."
Günther Schweizer, EAC Vice-President
Many road accidents can be avoided by changing behavior. That`s why the EAC and its members focus on prevention - especially among young drivers.
The Austrian Association of Motorists, Drivers and Cyclists (ARBÖ), an EAC member, prepares novice drivers for everyday driving in driving safety centers through practice-oriented exercises group discussions about traffic psychology. ARBÖ would like to support the AMS RS on site in the Republic of Srpska, one of two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with existing expert knowledge.
„The declining trend illustrates the positive effects of holistic, professional support and awareness-raising for novice drivers - a promising model for the Republic of Srpska“
Holger Küster, EAC President
An ARBÖ study shows that after completing the course, novice drivers are able to initiate appropriate defensive actions in emergency situations and have been successfully sensitised to the correlation between speed and successful accident avoidance and consequences. Common causes of accidents such as priority violations, inappropriate speed, distraction and insufficient distance can thus be prevented.
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