LITHUANIA – THE MOST IMPORTANT EUROPEAN TRAFFIC SAFETY AWARD FOR A DECADE OF PROGRESS IN IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY

Today, Lithuania has been recognized with the most important European award in the field of traffic safety – the PIN Award of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) for our country’s achievements in improving traffic safety over the past decade. Of all the European countries evaluated by this organization, Lithuania is the only European Union country, since 2011. until 2021 halving the number of road deaths.

“I congratulate and am very happy that Lithuania received this exceptional award for its achievements in improving road safety. Lithuania earned it through the consistent work of many people and institutions. Over the course of a decade, the number of road deaths was reduced by 51 percent. – this is a great achievement for all of us. Although we have made great progress, unfortunately there are still too many deaths on our roads, but we are going in the right direction and it is important to maintain it,” said Minister of Communications Marius Skuodis.

Last year, 147 people died on Lithuanian roads – that is 51 percent. less than in 2011, when we lost almost 300 road users on the country’s roads. Among other non-EU countries evaluated by the ETSC, only Norway achieved more, reducing the number of deaths by 52 percent.

in 2010 The European Commission (EC) has delegated ETSC to organize award events for countries that have achieved the most significant results in reducing the number of road casualties. For this purpose, ETSC and the EC organize an annual conference during which the progress of EU countries in safe traffic is presented. The country with the best results is awarded the “PIN Award”, presented by the EC Transport Commissioner and the head of the ETSC.

“About 20,000 people die on European roads every year. people, and reducing these numbers will require a lot of hard work, political will and investment. Lithuania is an excellent example of a country that fights this problem in many aspects – against drunk driving, speeding, as well as setting penalties for offenders, improving infrastructure and strategic planning. So, this award is truly deserved,” ETSC Executive Director Antonio Avenos said while congratulating Lithuania on the award.

ETSC experts also evaluated other important achievements of Lithuania’s decade, which led to the award given to the country this year. This is a long-term state traffic safety program “Vision – zero”, which aims at least another 50%. reduce the number of road deaths by 2030 and zero deaths by 2050; average speedometers, from 2018 to install almost 100 road sections and about 400 stationary speed meters; from 2019 a functioning anti-alcohol engine immobilizer program for identified drunk drivers as an alternative to suspension of driving privileges; 0 per thousand for professional and novice drivers and a limit of 0.4 per thousand for others.

Also rated in 2019. a detailed investigation of the causes of traffic accidents was started; from 2018 nationwide assessment of the safety of pedestrian crossings and their safety improvement; substantial expansion of bicycle paths in Vilnius from 40 km in 2015 to the targeted 160 km in 2023. and a new traffic accident information system is being developed, which will allow a more detailed assessment of the statistics of the dead and injured, including the data of medical institutions.

At the awards ceremony held remotely in Brussels, the Ministry of Transport presented its current activities and aspirations in the field of traffic safety. Over the past year, more than 1,000 traffic safety measures were implemented in Lithuania – dangerous pedestrian crossings were reconstructed, roundabouts were installed, infrastructure for the most vulnerable road users was improved, road and street lighting was improved, traffic islands, speed reduction and engineering traffic safety measures were installed, safety was improved on roadsides. In addition, more and more average speed meters are being installed, improving the infrastructure significantly reducing the number of black spots on the roads. Traffic safety is taken care of in a complex way – with the aim of safe driving, safer vehicles, increasing the safety of the infrastructure, carrying out educational activities,

On the occasion of this award, Minister of Transport M. Skuodis thanked everyone who contributed to the improvement of traffic safety – employees of state institutions, police and Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration officials, road users for implementing measures to improve traffic safety on roads and city streets, educational institutions, municipalities, Transport Competences who carried out important research agency staff and every driver for raising the level of driving culture.

The PIN award given to Lithuania this year is already the second. in 2011 our country received such an award for reducing road deaths by half between 2001 and 2011. period. in 2019 ETSC recognized Lithuania as the absolute leader in the EU in terms of the decrease in the number of road deaths in 2001-2018. period.

27 EU countries and the United Kingdom, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Israel participate in the Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) program conducted by the European Transport Safety Council. More information – 2022 In the PIN research report here: www.etsc.eu/pin16 .