Serious Traffic Injuries In Europe Worse Than Reported, Study Finds
Those are the main findings of a new report published on Monday by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a Brussels-based independent non-profit organization.
'Every day, all over Europe, hundreds of people are seriously injured on our roads,' Jenny Carson, project manager at the safety council said in a statement. 'Policymakers underestimate both the scale of the problem and the impact that these injuries can have.'
About 1,291,000 people are reported injured annually in the European Union, and some 141,000 of them are serious, based on estimates obtained from official sources, the safety group said. But those numbers may underestimate the true extent of the problem, it added, due to inconsistencies in data collection and sometimes massive under reporting by the police.
According to the report, 'Reducing Serious Injuries on European Roads' most official statistics on traffic injuries in Europe are from police reports, but police often have no specific knowledge and can misjudge the severity of the injuries. In addition, while collisions involving motor vehicles are much more likely to be reported by police, officers are rarely at the scene of the vast majority of incidents involving pedestrians and cyclists when no motor vehicle was involved, and as a result, many go unreported.
The report noted that while hospitals collect their own data on patients injured on the roads, they do not routinely collect information on where and when injuries occur, necessary information to identify high risk sites that need upgrades to prevent future incidents.
Also, governments often struggle to combine information collected by hospitals with police statistics, which is essential to form a comprehensive picture of the scale of the problem.
For example, the report cited that collision data collected in the Czech Republic indicated that the police database contained only 43% of the injuries recorded by the public health insurance system. And a study conducted in the Netherlands found that there were police reports for about 65% of people seriously injured in collisions when motor vehicles were involved, but only about 12% when there were no motor vehicles involved.
Many countries in the European Union have incorporated serious injury reduction targets into their national road safety strategies, but this report highlights that progress in reducing injuries ' is lagging behind the reduction in road deaths.'
To address the challenges and achieve a reduction in deaths and serious injuries, the report advocates for better governance and management so that leaders take responsibility, ensure transparency, guarantee funding, improve data collection, and develop partnerships.
The study supports a "Safe System' or Vision Zero approach to road safety and design that takes human error into account, first put into effect in Sweden in the 1990s.
The goal of the initiative is to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by creating multiple layers of protection, so if one fails, the others will create a safety net to lessen the impact of a crash. Improvements are designed to result in: safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds and better post-crash care.
'National governments,' Carson added, 'need to work harder to improve the flawed system of relying extensively on police-reported data which gives a misleading picture of the full burden of road injuries on individuals, societies and our economies.'
To access the full report, click here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Using AI to build battery value chains is vital for West – Monolith [includes podcast]
China has amassed a considerable global competitive lead in developing automotive battery tech and associated supply chains, according to an executive from AI engineering specialist Monolith, speaking exclusively to Just Auto. London-based AI start-up Monolith says it is doubling down on its mission to reinvent battery development, presenting its ongoing work in developing its next generation of AI technology for battery R&D. At this year's Battery Show Europe, the company showcased its agentic battery expert – an AI tool being developed to act as a virtual scientific co-pilot for engineers tackling the toughest challenges in battery R&D. Speaking to Frankie Youd in the Just Auto podcast series, Marius Koestler - VP AI for Batteries at Monolith – described the challenges facing the global development of automotive batteries as an increasingly political-technical discussion for governments around the world to face up to. This embedded content is not available in your region. 'Beijing is bringing all the forces together, strategically,' he said. 'It has gone with LFP [Lithium Iron Phosphate] technology which is winning big-time, while Europe, the US, Korea and Japan are still mainly on NMC [Nickel Manganese Cobalt] tech.' However, Koestler also said that there is a huge opportunity to utilise AI solutions to speed up battery tech development times. 'China has amassed a huge supply chain presence when you look at high-growth companies like CATL, but it's a highly dynamic situation. AI solutions are becoming highly relevant to this space and how the world's major economies and industries will look in the future.' This embedded content is not available in your region. "Using AI to build battery value chains is vital for West – Monolith [includes podcast]" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump announces trade deal with Japan that lowers threatened tariff to 15%
President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan on Tuesday, placing a 15% tax on goods imported from that nation. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,' Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the United States 'will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan.' The president said Japan would invest 'at my direction' $550 billion into the U.S. and would 'open' its economy to American autos and rice. The 15% tax on imported Japanese goods is a meaningful drop from the 25% rate that Trump, in a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, said would be levied starting Aug. 1. Early Wednesday, Ishiba acknowledged the new trade agreement, saying it would benefit both sides and help them work together. With the announcement, Trump is seeking to tout his ability as a dealmaker — even as his tariffs, when initially announced in early April led to a market panic and fears of slower growth that for the moment appear to have subsided. Key details remained unclear from his post, such as whether Japanese-built autos would face a higher 25% tariff that Trump imposed on the sector. But the framework fits a growing pattern for Trump, who is eager to portray the tariffs as win for the U.S. His administration says the revenues will help reduce the budget deficit and more factories will relocate to America to avoid the import taxes and cause trade imbalances to disappear. The wave of tariffs continues to be a source of uncertainty about whether it could lead to higher prices for consumers and businesses if companies simply pass along the costs. The problem was seen sharply Tuesday after General Motors reported a 35% drop in its net income during the second quarter as it warned that tariffs would hit its business in the months ahead, causing its stock to tumble. As the Aug. 1 deadline for the tariff rates in his letters to world leaders is approaching, Trump also announced a trade framework with the Philippines that would impose a tariff of 19% on its goods, while American-made products would face no import taxes. The president also reaffirmed his 19% tariffs on Indonesia. The U.S. ran a $69.4 billion trade imbalance on goods with Japan last year, according to the Census Bureau. America had a trade imbalance of $17.9 billion with Indonesia and an imbalance of $4.9 billion with the Philippines. Both nations are less affluent than the U.S. and an imbalance means America imports more from those countries than it exports to them. The president is set to impose the broad tariffs listed in his recent letters to other world leaders on Aug. 1, raising questions of whether there will be any breakthrough in talks with the European Union. At a Tuesday dinner, Trump said the EU would be in Washington on Wednesday for trade talks. 'We have Europe coming in tomorrow, the next day,' Trump told guests. The president earlier this month sent a letter threatening the 27 member states in the EU with 30% taxes on their goods to be imposed starting on Aug. 1. The Trump administration has a separate negotiating period with China that is currently set to run through Aug. 12 as goods from that nation are taxed at an additional 30% baseline. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would be in the Swedish capital of Stockholm next Monday and Tuesday to meet with his Chinese counterparts. Bessent said his goal is to shift the American economy away from consumption and to enable more consumer spending in the manufacturing-heavy Chinese economy. 'President Trump is remaking the U.S. into a manufacturing economy,' Bessent said on the Fox Business Network show 'Mornings with Maria.' 'If we could do that together, we do more manufacturing, they do more consumption. That would be a home run for the global economy.' Boak writes for the Associated Press.
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Trump says he's struck "massive" trade deal with Japan calling for 15% tariffs
President Trump said Tuesday he has struck a "massive" trade deal with Japan that calls for 15% tariffs on goods the U.S. imports from there. The president wrote on his Truth Social platform Tuesday that, as part of the agreement, Japan will invest $550 billion in the U.S. "which will receive 90% of the Profits." He also said Japan will "open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products." The 15% tariff rate announced by Mr. Trump is lower than the 25% he proposed earlier this month and the 24% duties that were proposed on "Liberation Day" in early April. "This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for the fact that we will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan," Mr. Trump wrote. "They had their top people here, and we worked on it long and hard, and it's a great deal for everybody," the president said of the negotiations with Japan, addressing GOP lawmakers Tuesday night during a White House reception. Japan is the United States' fifth-largest trading partner, according to federal statistics. Japan bought $79.7 billion worth of American goods last year, and the U.S. imported $148.2 billion worth of Japanese goods. More than one-third of U.S. imports from Japan last year — or $52.3 billion — were cars and car parts, powered by Japan's massive auto industry, according to federal data. Duties of 25% percent on vehicles from Japan were in place under the tariffs on foreign-made cars and parts Mr. Trump announced earlier this year, as were 50 percent levies on steel and aluminum. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday the autos tariff will be lowered to 15%, which sent shares of Japanese automakers soaring. "We are the first (country) in the world to reduce tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, with no limits on volume," he told reporters. "By protecting what needs to be protected, we continued the negotiations with an aim to reach an agreement that meets the national interest of both Japan and the United States," Ishiba added. "In this agreement with President Trump, I think we were able to realize such an agreement." But Japan trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa said the 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum would stay in place. Akazawa also said increased defense spending by Japan -- something Mr. Trump has pressed for -- was not part of the deal. Mr. Trump also said Tuesday evening that his administration is working on a separate deal with Alaska involving liquified natural gas in the state. Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Trump announced trade deals with Indonesia and the Philippines calling for 19% tariffs on those countries' exports to the United States. The administration is still in talks with several other crucial trading partners, including Mexico, Canada and the European Union. Mr. Trump sent letters this month to about two dozen countries — including Japan — telling them to expect higher tariffs starting Aug. 1 unless they strike deals before then to resolve what the president views as unfair trade practices. The threats came near the end of a 90-day pause on most of the sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs Mr. Trump unveiled against dozens of countries on "Liberation Day" in April. The Trump administration has hoped the letters will lead to a blitz of trade deals in the coming weeks, before the higher tariff rates kick in at the start of August. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick predicted Sunday that the next two weeks will be "for the record books." The letters have "gotten these countries to the table, and they are going to open their markets or they're going to pay the tariff," Lutnick said on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." When the dust settles, Lutnick said, smaller countries can expect to face a roughly 10% tariff — which is the baseline rate imposed by Mr. Trump in April — while larger countries will likely face higher tariffs. By comparison, the average tariff rate on U.S. imports in 2023 was around 2.5%, according to figures from the Yale Budget Lab. Mr. Trump argues his tariff strategy is necessary to revive U.S. manufacturing, correct unfair trade practices and bring in additional government revenue. But many economists warn that tariffs can lead to higher inflation and lower economic growth. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said earlier this month that the central bank has left interest rates relatively high so far this year because it is concerned Mr. Trump's tariffs could push up consumer prices. Lutnick responded to inflation worries Sunday by saying, "I think you're going to see inflation stay right where it is," and argued that tariffs will help American manufacturers. "The idea that these importers are more important than the people who employ Americans, I think it's just [the] wrong way of thinking about it," Lutnick Dakss and Olivia Rinaldi contributed to this report.
