On September 29, 2023, the Conference of Polish Signatories of the European Road Safety Charter was organized at the Polonia Palace Hotel in Warsaw. The event organizers were: the Motor Transport Institute, Ricardo (global technology partner - Great Britain) and the VIAS Institute (dealing with road safety - Belgium).

On behalf of the hosts, the guests were welcomed by Prof. Marcin Ślęzak, director of the Motor Transport Institute. Professor Ślęzak drew attention to the role of the European Road Safety Charter, i.e. encouraging, supporting and expanding this community, which aims to reduce the number of fatalities and serious road injuries by 50% this decade.

– To illustrate what objective we are talking about, it is worth emphasizing that every year on the European roads, approximately 20,000 people lose their lives as a result of road accidents. Of course, the target plan of the European Road Safety Charter is the complete elimination of fatalities and serious injuries on the European Union roads by the 2050 and - importantly - we are on the right track to implement this plan, because in Poland in the years 2012-2022 the number of fatalities decreased by 47 %. It is for these significant achievements and effective actions in improving road safety that Poland, as the best in Europe, was awarded the PIN 2023 Award by the European Transport Safety Board in June this year - said Prof. Marcin Ślęzak, director of the Motor Transport Institute.

The main topic of the conference was an overview of achievements and initiatives aimed at reducing threats and minimizing the effects of road accidents, implemented by Polish Signatories of the Road Safety Charter. The conference program also included a presentation of the European Commission's plans regarding activities in the field of road safety, the achievements and intentions of the coordinators of the European Road Safety Charter, as well as a speech from the Directorate of the European Transport Safety Council and the Secretary of the National Road Safety Council.

The agenda for the first session included:

• Speech by the representative of the European Commission DG MOVE
• Activities and plans of the Secretariat of the National Road Safety Council - Konrad Romik, Secretary of the National Road Safety Council
• “The role of the ETSC in the implementation of road safety activities in Europe” - Antonio Avenoso, Director of the European Transport Safety Council
• "European Road Safety Charter - assumptions and implementation" - Dr. Dagmara Jankowska-Karpa (Motor Transport Institute)
• "Engaging citizens to achieve Vision Zero: lessons learned from the European Road Safety Charter" - Sophie Vanhove, Coordinator of the European Road Safety Charter (European Road Safety Charter Team, Institute VIAS from Belgium)
• Presentation of the finalists of the "Excellence in Road Safety" Competition of the European Road Safety Charter ERSC 2023: "Pedestrian safety - shared responsibility" - Katarzyna Dobrzańska-Junco (Małopolska Road Safety Council)
• "On the way to safe and sustainable urban mobility in Gdańsk" - Agata Lewandowska (Municipal Management Department, City Hall in Gdańsk)

 The agenda for the second session included:

• Presentation of selected Polish preventive programs implemented by the Signatories of the European Road Safety Charter: "Polish Road Safety Observatory as a publicly available tool for analysing road hazards" - Anna Zielińska (Motor Transport Institute)
• "Social campaign - Safe Motorway, as an example of long-term actions to improve road safety" - Tadeusz Zagajewski (Road Traffic Safety Centre)
• "Bicycle card for Mazovia. Pruszków” - Adam Sobieraj (Drogi Mazowsza Foundation)
• "Evaluation of the impact of an object close to the road on the behaviour of road users" - Marek Różycki (MDRK Trusted Adviser Group Sp. z o. o.)
• "I'm driving a safe car" - Andrzej Baranowski (Car and Secondary School Complex No. 1, Warsaw)
• "The health condition of drivers as a possible cause of road accidents" - Driver testing campaign on the A2 Świecko-Konin concession motorway - Włodzimierz Matczak (Autostrada Eksploatacja S.A., Poznań)
• "Activities carried out by the National Centre for Road Traffic Safety" - Wojciech Pasieczny (National Centre for Road Safety)
• "Safety of drivers 50+ in the activities of the Partnership for Road Safety" - Dorota Olszewska (Partnership for Road Safety)
• "A kindergarten child from Lublin knows how to behave on the road" - Teresa Kachniarz (Kindergarten No. 50 in Lublin)
• "Autosobriety - start driving without alcohol". Driver training program. Preventing driving under the influence of alcohol - Artur Zieliński, Deputy Mayor of Płock, Cifal Płock
• "Selected examples of good practices in the area of fleet safety from the perspective of road carrier experience" - Stanisław Wodyński, PKS in Ostrowiec Św. S.A.
• "How to better use the potential of NGOs in preventive activities in Poland" - discussion of conference participants

The European Road Safety Charter is the largest civil society platform working on road safety since 2004. As an initiative led by the European Commission, the Charter plays an important role in the Europe-wide drive to make our roads safer. It is a community that currently brings together 4,000 institutions and organizations from all over Europe, including 121 from Poland, striving to improve road safety and culture standards through real involvement and taking specific actions. Members of this community represent organizations, enterprises and institutions implementing initiatives addressed to their members, employees and the rest of civil society.

The European Road Safety Charter aims to promote the involvement of civil society in improving road safety across Europe. Its mission is based on the basic principles of society: the need to combine the efforts of interested parties and civil society in order to take joint responsibility for road safety in their neighbourhood, region and country.

Motor Transport Institute, which has been a signatory of the Charter since 2009 and serves as the National Contact Point for Signatories of the European Road Safety Charter (on behalf of the European Commission) in Poland.