Behaviour

United Nations presents new Charter on the Rights of Road Traffic Victims

Introduction
On the occasion of poor interpersonal behaviour in the context of claims settlement between the road traffic victim and the body which is responsible for compensating the road traffic victim the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Institute for European Traffic Law (IETL) and the Council of Bureaux (CoB) recently dedicated an UNECE Charter (TD/SITC) to traffic victims. The Charter does not intend to legislate in whole or in part. It does not affect national or international sources of law in any way. Rather, the Charter is intended to be a code of conduct for all those involved in the compensation of road traffic victims.
Principles
The Charter contains a total of 10 principles. Some of these principles are:

Principle 2: The victim should not only be able to address a claim to the person violating the traffic rules or – if based on the operational risk of the use of a motor vehicle – to its keeper. If an entity (“the compensator”) was established by law to offer full or partial compensation for damage resulting from the use of a motor vehicle in road traffic, the victim should also be able to address the claim to such entity under the conditions of the applicable law.
Principle 5: The victim and/or their duly appointed representative(s) should be treated with fairness, dignity, respect and empathy, with due care for the situation in which the victim may be in after the road traffic accident, whilst respecting the rights of the compensator or tortfeasor.
The victim should receive a reasoned response regarding the acceptance or the partial or total rejection of the claim.
Principle 7: The victim should receive advance payments and/or interim payments on account of damages from the compensator if liability is determined but the compensation is not yet fully quantified. The advance payments should ideally cover the damage or injury that has already been suffered and that is not compensated by any other entity.
Principle 8: The victim’s rights should not be compromised by any obvious incorrect or insufficient compensation. If compensation is due to the victim, the compensation should be paid on time and in full accordance with the applicable law.
Principle 10: The victim should have due access to a court or any other neutral entity, in order to receive an independent assessment of his/her rights according to applicable legislation.
Conclusion
For decades, the United Nations has been striving to reduce the number of road accidents worldwide. Preventive road safety measures alone do not seem to reduce the number of road accidents worldwide. Against this background, the UNECE Secretariat, the IETL and the CoB hope that through the application of the ten Charter principles, the situation of the road accident victims concerned or, in the case of the death of the road accident victim, their families, will improve after the accident by mitigating, with fair and fully adequate compensation, the injustice suffered.
Charter available at: https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/ECE-TRANS-WP1-2021-1e.pdf

Pan-European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion


This year the fifth conference of ministers for the European programme for traffic, health and environment took place in Vienna. The declaration of Vienna had the motto “building a better future – setting the course for new, clean, safe, healthy and integrative mobility”. The focus for the twenty-eight participating countries was to promote cycling paths in Europe.
The aim of the plan is to double the cycling traffic till 2030. Therefore, the states must build their own cycling strategies. This will happen through a better cycling infrastructure, but also other political parts, like the health and spatial planning, shall be involved by these mobility changes. The plan comprises measures for a better user-friendly cycling infrastructure and the promote of new technology and innovation.
More cycling traffic will have positive impacts to our society. At first, more cycling will have an impact to the environment. Eight million tons of CO2 could be saved to 2030. Further, the use of bike instead of cars will lead to better air and less noise in cities and make urban regions more liveable. In addition, cycling is a useful activity, so the planners hope to prevent deaths because of sedentary lifestyle.
Secondly, the Pan-European Master Plan for Cycling Promotion will have a positive economy impact. By doubling the cycling traffic, 400.000 new jobs could be created in the cycling industry. If they will achieve the aim, 3.5 billion Euro can be implemented in the cycling sector. Another factor is the impact to the health care and insurance systems. More activity will have a positive impact to health. Moreover, the number of accidents will fall. These factors will lead to less sick days and a discharge of the health care system. By reaching the aim till 2030, the national economy will have a use of 260 billion Euros.
You can find the whole plan at: https://thepep.unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/MASTERPLAN_2021-05-16_BF.pdf

2021: Renaissance of the railway in Europe?


After environmental associations and the EU Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, called for the strengthening of European rail transport, the European Commission subsequently designated 2021 as the European Year of Rail. This year aims to modernise the rail transport in Europe and support the European Green Deal in the field of mobility.
Due to the lack of focus on rail transport this sector has lost importance over the past decades. As a consequence there still does not exist an unified European railway system. Hence many environmental organisations are calling on the EU and national governments to improve European rail services through new direct connections with day and night trains, more attractive and convenient international rail bookings and investment in cross-border infrastructure.
Moreover, the modernisation could help to achieve the EU's target of becoming climate neutral by 2050. Around 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union are caused by transport. Therefore events, campaigns and initiatives will be used to raise public awareness that the rail sector is sustainable, innovative and safe. Since 1990 rail is the only mode of transport that has been able to reduce its CO2 emissions almost continuously, while at the same time transport volumes have increased.
Ultimately, a better European rail system could connect people and economies in Europe, reduce transport emissions by providing alternatives to road and air transport, and give a green boost to the European economy after Covid-19. Against this background, it is obvious that rail transport will play an important role in the European mobility system of the future. This already shows the recent merger of Alstom and Bombardier which creates the world's second-largest railway manufacturer behind the Chinese group CRRC.
Read more: https://www.germanwatch.org/sites/germanwatch.org/files/Hop%20on%20the%20Train.%20A%20Rail%20Renaissance%20for%20Europe_0.pdf

The impact of the EU climate package for motorists


In order to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, the EU Commission is now increasing the pressure and demanding a switch to electric cars by 2035. The following section takes a closer look at the effects of the Green Deal on car transport.
The new CO2 rules: By 2030, emissions from new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are to be reduced by an average of 55 per cent compared to today's levels. In 2035, all newly registered cars should then emit "zero emissions". In contrast to other member states, the EU Commission has not yet issued an explicit ban on putting any more internal combustion vehicles on the road after a certain date. The CO2 regulations only apply to new cars, older ones are grandfathered.
The charging and filling station network: The member states are obliged to expand the network of charging stations and hydrogen filling stations on the trunk roads. For example, an e-car must be able to refuel at least every 60 kilometres, a fuel cell vehicle every 150 kilometres.
Consequences for car drivers and fuel prices: The EU climate package will also lead to an increase in fuel prices. In Germany, for example, prices have already risen by around 8 cents per litre for diesel and 7 cents for petrol. The climate targets could make it even more expensive to run internal combustion cars.
All in all, the EU's increased climate targets will put an end to the use of internal combustion engines through the back door. The raised climate targets will effectively phase out the production of classic petrol and diesel cars in Europe in the medium term - and both are likely to disappear from the roads in the long term as well.
Read more: https://www.rheinpfalz.de/ratgeber/mobilitaet_artikel,-was-das-eu-klimapaket-f%C3%BCr-die-autofahrer-bedeutet-_arid,5227724.html

 

SAFE ON ELECTRIC SCOOTERS - 12 recommendations for safer use of electric scooters

from ASIGUROPEDIA, an initiative of UNSAR - Asigurătorii din România, the National Union of Insurance and Reinsurance Societies in Romania:

  • The first use tests will be done in areas without car traffic, such as a private ground or landfill.
  • Wear safety equipment consisting of a helmet, gloves, elbow and knee pads. This equipment, if used, can reduce by 60% injuries suffered in an accident with an electric scooter.
  • Never drive on the sidewalk. Follow the rules applicable to cyclists.
  • Be visible, wear fluorescent equipment, especially at night.
  • Wear a reflective vest or flashing red light to make it easier to be seen in traffic.
  • Observe a maximum speed of 25 km/h
  • Do NOT carry passengers on electric scooters.
  • Keep both hands on the handlebars while moving.
  • Always be careful on the road. With small scooter wheels, it is more difficult to avoid a pit or get over the tram rails.
  • Adopt preventive behavior in traffic. Even if it is easy to maneuver, slalom between vehicles is dangerous.
  • Anticipate braking as much as possible and be proactive in traffic. Not as bicycles, the braking distance will be longer in the case of scooters.



Read more: https://lnkd.in/dhWsuzn

 

Insurance fraud in Europe


Detected and undetected fraud is estimated to cost European citizens 13 billion euros a year: examination of a community problem.
What concerns the overall volume of business, the black shirt belongs to the United Kingdom where undetected fraud is estimated to more than 2 billion euros, followed by Belgium and Spain with about 0.5 billion euros. The percentage of dubious claims compared to the total number of claims in Europe can reach up to 10% of all claims expenditure, as estimated by the German insurance association GDV Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft e.V. for Germany. Fraud has an impact on insurers but also on their honest consumers facing higher insurance premiums.

Therefore, the insurance industry is doing much to combat fraud in various ways: dedicated investigative groups, cooperation with law enforcement authorities, allocation of specialised anti-fraud trainings, use of technology and data analytics including anti-fraud databases, information campaigns. The national initiatives show many similarities. Read more about the fight against insurance fraud from Insurance Europe: https://lnkd.in/d9UeWnx

 

Road traffic injuries


According to World Health Organization and UNICEF, for children and young people, road traffic injuries represent the leading cause of death. Children accounted for 21% of all road traffic injury related deaths worldwide. According to data published by the University of Washington, almost 112,000 children under the age of 15 lost their lives in 2017. There are many reasons for the deaths of over 300 children worldwide who lose their lives on the roads every day. A lack of experience, misjudgment of risks and a failure to pay attention on the part of the children play just as large a role here as the failure to pay the proper attention, excessive speeds and distraction on the part of other road users, to name just a few examples. IETL corporate member DEKRA looks in its last European #Roadsafety Report of 2019 at what measures can be taken in terms of the human factor, vehicle technology and infrastructure in order to achieve a lasting improvement in road safety of under-15-year-olds and also aims to provide inspiration and advice – for politicians, traffic experts, manufacturers, associations and road users, especially the children themselves. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHWvhDy
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