Geneva – True to the road transport sector’s commitment to support the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, the bus and coach industry has made road safety its top priority objective for 2011 within the global Smart Move campaign, notably by further developing and implementing industry’s road safety best practices and training activities, such as those provided by the IRU Academy, as well as investing  in the latest safety vehicle technologies and devices.

Simultaneously, bus and coach transport operators are calling upon public authorities to focus on implementing policies and incentives that support the Smart Move objective of doubling the use of collective passenger transport by bus and coach, as an effective way to significantly help reduce road casualties by 3,000 each year in Europe alone.

IRU Vice President and CTP President, Graham Smith, stressed: “Despite sharing infrastructure with other users, bus and coach transport has safety records which equal or surpass those of air and rail passenger transport. Moreover, doubling the number of buses and coaches will remove millions of private cars from the roads, thus considerably reducing congestion and risks of road accidents. Coupled with increased driver training and new investments in latest safety technologies, our sector is likely to become ever safer in the years to come! Implementing smart bus and coach policies and practices at political and business level is a safe bet for future sustainable mobility! ”

Over 2011, Smart Move partners will focus on transferring knowledge and share existing best industry practices and technologies with their peers, drivers and authorities in developing countries, notably through exhibitions and IRU international events held throughout  the year in different parts of the globe.

 “To improve road safety, it is crucial that governments work together with the business community in genuine public-private partnerships to optimise the efficiency and sustainability of services offered. Implementing the Smart Move recommendations to achieve the campaign’s objectives would be a concrete example of effectively and jointly improving road safety”, Graham Smith concluded.

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·         Buses and coaches for safer mobility

·         Road transport and road safety

·         See Best industry initiatives and practices

·         IRU coach driver safety checklist in 21 languages

Press contact:

Juliette Ebélé, +41 22 918 27 07, press@iru.org