La Palma hosts the First International Road Safety Day
- May 12 2003
Within the framework of the Strategic Road Safety Plan that is being developed on the Island
The Cabildo Insular offer a first preview of the results of the campaign to eliminate deaths on its roads
Madrid, May 12 2003.- On Tuesday, May 13, starts on the Island of La Palma R International Road Safety Day, an event organized by the Spanish Road Association (AEC) with the collaboration of MAPFRE and promoted by the Island council of La Palma.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the "New approaches in establishing Integrated Road Safety Plans", main theme around which all the presentations will be organized. The site chosen for this appointment is the Taburiente Playa Hotel, located in the municipality of Brena Baja, which will host until 14 May a hundred experts from around the country and the rest of Europe in order to reflect on the validity and effectiveness of current methodologies for the development of these plans.
One of the most attractive proposals of this conference will take place during the last working session in which Fernando Lozano, Technical Department of Infrastructure Island Council of the Island of La Palma, will present a first preview of the results of the Strategic Plan Road safety Administration is currently developing the island. This is an initial assessment of everything done so far under this program, born of an agreement between the Cabildo Insular de La Palma and the ACS in order to eliminate mortality in more than 500 kilometers make the road network managed by the Cabildo.
The opening of this meeting will take place at 09,30 hours tomorrow, and will be chaired by José Luis Perestelo, President of the Cabildo, accompanied by Gerardo F. Hernandez, Director of Infrastructure; Jaime Sicilia, Mayor of Brena Baja, Aniceto Zaragoza, Director General of the Spanish Road Association and General Rapporteur of the Conference.
Technical program
The technical program of the First International Road Safety Day is divided into three working sessions. During their development, the technical meeting in La Palma will discuss new trends in road safety as a basis for the implementation of comprehensive plans of Road Safety tailored to the needs of current and future road infrastructure .
The First Session of Labour, coordinated by Jesús Diez de Ulzurrun, Deputy Director General of Road Safety Traffic Department of the Ministry of Interior, will focus on "The State of the Art in Comprehensive Plans Approach Road Safety". During the same intervene Alvaro Figaredo, Program Director of the European Road Federation (ERF) in Brussels, who will speak on the Road Safety Plans in the OECD, drive body of the first plans, developed from years 70. Also, in Round Table, National Road Safety Plans planned for this year by the Higher Council of Traffic and Road Traffic Safety will be analyzed.
The Working Session II will take place during the afternoon of May 13 and will focus on "The new tools that incorporate Integrated Road Safety Plans". It will include the participation of technicians from the Spanish Road Association, an institution that is currently developing an important activity in the field of design and development of road safety plans throughout the national territory.
The Third Session is reserved for May 14 and will be coordinated by James Diaz, AEC Technical Director and head of Strategic Road Safety Plan which is currently being developed on the roads of La Palma. Here a preview of the first results of this program will be offered, which will make this First International Conference on Road Safety in an excellent showcase to know the situation of island road safety.
The added value presented by this Plan is the special attention given to the opinion of the 82.000 inhabitants of this Canary Island. The suggestions, ideas and comments of all of them are considered a fundamental part of the strategy, as long as offer Public Administration responsible for road management in the sure knowledge of the problems, demands and needs of those who used a form or another roads.
The First International Road Safety Day celebration will conclude with a roundtable in which participants will address the multidisciplinary nature that must form the basis of all Road Safety Plan.
Road Safety in La Palma
Among 1996 and 2000 27 total of people killed in traffic accident on the island of La Palma, with an average of 5 deaths per year. In each of the exercises in this period, the mortality figures show no significant variation. Therefore, the Cabildo Insular de La Palma is convinced that it is possible to completely eliminate traffic accidents with fatalities on roads palms.
Some roads, La Palma, totaling kilometers 760, 516 of which are managed by the council. 1996 1999 of to the Provincial palm Corporation invested in construction and maintenance just over 21 million euros (about 3.500 million pesetas). In the latter year, the census fleet amounted to 48.317 units, with passenger cars 31.508, 4.202 9.365 trucks and vans.
Based on this information, and after a field work carried out throughout the year 2002, the technicians responsible for the campaign work in an exhaustive technical study which analyzes in detail the road infrastructure competition Cabildo Insular of La Palma.
Among the actions envisaged by the research include the identification and treatment of concentration sections Accidents (TCA), the adaptation of the design of the crossings to optimal conditions of road safety and the development of a plan update road equipment. The work of collecting and processing technical data has also ventured into the field of users, investigating the behavior of novice drivers and the influence of alcohol on driving, and the role of educators in schools when address issues related to road safety.
