Initiatives proposed on 20 July in a set of European Road Safety Policy Orientations 2011-2020 range from setting higher standards for vehicle safety, to improving the training of road users, and increasing the enforcement of road rules. The Commission will work closely with EU member states to implement this programme.

European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas responsible for Transport, said: ‘A hundred people die everyday on Europe’s roads. We have made good progress since 2001 and we have succeeded in saving nearly 80,000 lives. But the number of fatalities and injuries on our roads is still unacceptable. We are looking at what kind of cars motorists drive, where they drive and how they drive and we want to cut road deaths in half by 2020.’

Road safety action programme 2011-2020:
The Commission has set out a mix of initiatives focussing on making improvements to vehicles, infrastructure and road users’ behaviour.

There are seven strategic objectives:
- Improved safety measures for trucks and cars
- Building safer roads
- Developing intelligent vehicles
- Strengthening licensing and training
- Better enforcement
- Targeting injuries
- A new focus on motorcyclists