New EEC safety study
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A STUDY into \.va,■..s in which modern computer techniques can be used to improve road safety has been initiated by the EEC Commission. They will give priority to the prevention of accidents involving lorries carrying dangerous substances.
News of the investigation Came in answer to questions from two Belgian MEPs concerned at the number of incidents reported this year involving what have been dubbed "bombs on wheels".
One of the worst incidents, a collision between a road tanker, another heavy goods vehicle and a car on the Germany motorway between Fribourg and Basle last April, led to the poisoning of around UM people by a cloud of toxic gas \yincit spread across villages in Germany and France.
Transport Commissioner Stanley Clinton Davis laid most of the blame on human error. Tighter control on existing regulations would help reduce accidents, he said.
But he agreed the Common Market authorities have a part to play. In addition to the study into computer techniques, he also hopes that 1986 — designated Road Safety Year — will see proposals to improve driver training and vehicle roadworthiness standards.
Specific measures on the transport of dangerous goods will not be considered until the results of a study being carried out by industry experts are available. He admitted that Elk: statistics on accidents involving dangerous loads are scanty.
The most complete recent study in this field has been made by the Belgian Institut du Transport Routier over the years 1980-83. In this fouryear period, 240,000 road accidents occurred in Belgium involving personal injuries (320,000) or deaths (just tinder 9,000).
The total number of accidents known where dangerous goods were involved was 343, causing 25 deaths and 220 cases of personal injury.
Only in 75 of these accidents was the situation aggravated by the dangerous goods.