The approach of the industry

Because they are "professionals", road transport operators have always had an active attitude with regard to road safety. The Industry has developed a real synergy with its partners and customers, based on best practice, in order to improve road safety and reduce the operational costs of undertakings.

In 2004, a year when international attention is being focussed on road safety:

the IRU President signed the European Road Safety Charter in Dublin on 6 April 2004, committing the IRU to the aims set out in the European Road Safety Action Programme;
the IRU participated actively in the 4th UNECE Road Safety Week and its launch seminar in Geneva on 5 April;
the IRU presented road transport sector initiatives at the UN Stakeholder Forum "Global Road Safety - A Shared Responsibility?" in New York on 15 April, as part of the United Nations General Assembly's unprecedented debate on road safety and the launch of the WHO/World Bank World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, launched in Paris on 7 April, World Health Day;
the IRU Members adopted and signed the IRU Road Safety Charter "The Road Transport Industry Commitment to Improving Road Safety" at their General Assembly in Yokohama on 22 April.

The initiatives taken by the Industry in the fields of information and training aim both at its own drivers and at other road users : the various IRU programmes and activities have often been developed in co-operation with other international organisations.

Compliance with the highway code, speed limits and driving and rest hours are part of the arsenal of regulatory measures to obtain safety on the roads. The IRU supports everything that can be done to improve compliance with these rules, including efficient and harmonised controls.

The state of vehicles and the proper functioning of their equipment are very important. Co-operation between the vehicle manufacturers and part suppliers is close with a view to improving the safety of drivers and passengers through the application of technological progress financed by vehicle purchasers (braking systems, visibility, road-holding and computerised driving aids).

Road infrastructure is an area in which transport operators cannot take the initiative, since it depends on the authority of Governments which are responsible for the provision and maintenance of road networks complying with the needs of all types of vehicles sharing the same road space.

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