Formula Zero

A policy statement by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile

A strategy for reducing fatalities and injuries ontrack and road

Contents

2 Foreword

3 Introduction

5 Safety in Motorsport

9 The Driver

13 The Car and Legislation

15 The Car and the Consumer

17 The Road

19 Conclusion

21 The FIA

Foreword

Formula Zero • 2

Safety is an absolute priority for the FIA.

As the governing body of motorsport and therepresentative of more than 100 million motor-ing consumers worldwide, it is clearly the FIA'sresponsibility to not only implement the mostdemanding safety standards achievable inracing, but to ensure that the safety lessonslearned from the track can be, and are, applied tothe road.

Every year 43,000 people are killed, and afurther 1.6 million are injured on Europe's roads.The FIA is a driving force in the campaign toreduce these tragic deaths and injuries.

This document outlines an approach to roadsafety which has defined safety policy in motor-sport for more than twenty years. A similar andfar reaching safety philosophy called VisionZero was introduced on the road by the SwedishGovernment in 1997.

The FIA believes that adopting what we havecalled Formula Zero will have significant safetybenefits and help to reduce the unacceptablenumber of deaths and injuries on our roads.

Max MosleyFIA President

Introduction

In the EU 43,000 people are killed every year onour roads. More than 600,000 hospital admis-sions can be attributed to road accidents and it isestimated that road accident related injury treat-ments absorb as much as 10% of the EU's healthcare resources.

The EU safety budget is 8 million euros perannum. Using the European Commission's owncosting methodology, referred to in their latestroad safety communication as the ‘1 million europrinciple’ the total annual road safety budget isequal to the lives of 8 European citizens.

Increasingly governments have set nationaltargets for the reduction of deaths and seriousinjuries. It is clear from the experience in indi-vidual EU countries that target setting is of vitalimportance in the reduction of deaths and casu-alties on our roads. Earlier this year the UKGovernment set the target of a 40% cut in roaddeaths over the next 10 years.

In Europe new road safety legislation and pro-active target based road safety campaigning hashelped to reduce road accident related fatalitiesand injuries despite increases in vehicle owner-ship. But safety levels vary considerably acrossthe EU, road accidents account for a seven timeshigher death rate in the worst compared to the bestperforming EU member state. The FIA wouldencourage governments to go even further andestablish targets as interim objectives in thepursuit of the strategic goal of zero fatalities.

SWEDEN'S VISION ZERO

In Sweden in October 1997, the Riksdag intro-duced Vision Zero as a long term goal for roadsafety.

The Vision Zero approach emphasises that it isdeaths and personal injuries which have to beeliminated, not that all accidents must beavoided. The ethical basis for this approachrecognises that mistakes which are made onSweden's roads should not lead to loss of life orserious injury. The road transport system must bedesigned so that people's mistakes do not neces-sarily have disastrous consequences.

The Vision Zero target in Sweden is based onshared responsibility for safety amongst 'systemdesigners' and road users. System designers bearthe ultimate responsibility for the structure andfunction of the road transport system, whilst roadusers have a duty to follow road traffic regula-tions, showing due care and consideration.

The main focus of Vision Zero is that:

• relevant decision-makers in both the publicand private sectors are stimulated into takingincreased responsibility for road traffic safety;

• relevant public and private organisations arestimulated into integrating consideration forroad traffic safety in all parts of their activitiesthat affect the road transport system;

• the general public are stimulated intodemanding safe products and services;

3 • Formula Zero

• road users increase their interest in andopportunities for obeying road traffic regula-tions and showing consideration, judgementand responsibility on the roads

FORMULA ZERO

On the race track, in its role as the governingbody of world motorsport, the FIA hasimplemented a constantly improving app-roachto safety standards.

This approach recognises that motorsport isinherently dangerous and that accidents willinevitably happen, but the fundamental startingpoint for the FIA's safety philosophy is the prin-ciple that no deaths or injuries on the track areacceptable.

This significant shift in emphasis has influencedmore than twenty years of safety improvementsin racing. The FIA believes that such a shift inemphasis when approaching safety on the roadwould have significant benefits.

The new approach would involve an entirelynew way of looking at road safety, concentratingon how the whole of the road transport systemcan operate safely.

Such an approach would echo the aspirations ofSweden's pioneering approach to road safetymanagement by:

• targeting the three essential variables, thedriver, the car and the road in one integratedstrategy;

• combining improved driver education withconsumer pressure in encouraging acceler-ated improvements to car safety design aswell as the mobilisation of 'user' pressure toencourage improvements to road infrastruc-ture layout and design;

• harnessing the intergovernmental infrastruc-ture of the EU to set clear and genuinelypan-European safety priorities co-ordinatedcentrally but delivered nationally;

Such an approach would be predicated on theassumption that no deaths or injuries on ourroads are acceptable and that any percentagereduction target should be seen as an importantbut interim objective on the road to the long termgoal of zero fatalities.

EU GR P E F B A L I IRL D DK FIN NL UK S

8.18.11010.111.313.813.91515.516.116.316.415.8

37.5

44.2

53.360

50

40

30

20

10

0

EU ROAD FATALITY RATES PER BILLION VEHICLE KM(source: IRTAD 1999/ SWOV 1998)

Formula Zero • 4

Motorsport is inherently dangerous.Accidents are expected to happen, but driversand spectators justifiably expect a very highlevel of protection.

ACCIDENT HISTORY

In the 1960's one in every eight Formula Oneevents resulted in a fatality or serious injury,with some years figures running as high as onerace in every four. This unacceptably high levelof accidents, serious injuries and fatalities gaverise to a driver led movement for greater safetyin motorsport.

The effects of that driver led campaign and thenew measures it began to establish was to reducethe number of accidents causing fatalities or seri-ous injuries to an average of 1 in 40 accidents - a5-fold improvement in less than 10 years.

Between 1980 and 1992, a further steady declinein fatalities and serious injuries per accidentresulted in the rate falling to less than 1 in 250accidents - a further 6 fold reduction.

In 1992 the safety record of Formula Oneapproached zero fatalities and serious injuriesper accident, a level where individual incidentshave a disproportionate effect on statistics.

In 1994, after 11 years without a single fatality inGrand Prix events two fatalities occurred duringa single Grand Prix weekend. One of the tragicaccidents involved triple World ChampionAyrton Senna.

The FIA immediately took wide-ranging steps toimprove safety, including new regulations for carconstruction and circuit design, and initiated aresearch and development programme intoimproved standards for the future. It soonbecame clear that the only acceptable safetyobjective should be zero fatalities and seriousinjuries. The responsibility for safety thenshifted from the driver and was handed jointly tothe administration and to the ‘system suppliers’.

The FIA has researched and made changes tovehicle design regulations, circuit design andcircuit safety features, driver equipment, racecontrol procedures, and medical interventionstandards, to reduce fatalities and serious injuriesper accident by over 90% since the early 1970s.

Safety in Motorsport

5 • Formula Zero

LESSONS FROM THE TRACK

The physics and physiology of an accident onthe track are very similar to that of a road acci-dent. Motorsport provides an excellentenvironment for vehicle safety research. Manymotorsport accidents are recorded on video, datais recorded in on-board Accident Data Recordersand detailed post accident analysis is carried out.

Because every aspect of motor racing iscontrolled to such an extent, and the technologyexists to enable accidents to be monitored andanalysed in detail, it presents a rare opportunityto research automotive safety in the extreme.

Motorsport safety can show what is possible interms of human protection and tolerance if thereare no constraints on the level of technologyapplied or on the costs involved. While thelessons learned cannot always be directly oreconomically applied to the road system, muchof the data and experience gathered is relevant.

The Technical and Sporting Regulations govern-ing Formula One set the highest standards andprovide a proving ground for safety measuresprior to introduction in other international racingclasses.

CIRCUITS

Closed-circuit racing tracks are licensed by theFIA according to the classes of cars to be racedon them. Circuits are inspected according to FIAGuidelines which lay down standards for allaspects of circuit construction. These standardsare under constant review.

DRIVERS

Drivers are licensed to participate in racingclasses according to experience. The licensingsystem also provides a means of sanctioningdrivers for actions that are considered prejudicialto safety.

Standards for driver equipment, includinghelmets and overalls are set by the FIA and areregularly checked.

Formula Zero • 6

0,3200

0,2800

0,2400

0,2000

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0,1200

0,0800

0,0400

0,0000

FORMULA ONE FATALITY AND SERIOUS INJURY STATISTICS

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erio

us in

jurie

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r ac

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nt

1964

1968

1972

1976

1980

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fatalities and seriousinjuries per accident

rolling 5 year average

MEDICAL INTERVENTION

FIA medical regulations demand a high level ofequipment and expertise. Staffing levels atcircuit medical centres are a minimum of twoconsultant anesthetists, a consultant general andorthopedic surgeon, a spinal or neurosurgeonand a burns specialist. Intensive resuscitationrooms and an operating theatre equipped toUniversity Hospital standards are also a mini-mum requirement.

Rapid and expert intervention is a crucialelement in the FIA's approach to medical stan-dards.

At a circuit like Monaco where access is difficultthree intervention cars backed up by 100 doctorsand paramedics are needed to provide the levelof intervention performance required by the FIA.

RACE CONTROL

A permanent FIA Race Director controls therunning of major international motorsportevents. Race Control is in radio contact with allmedical facilities, race officials and marshalsand is able to survey the whole track and PitLane via closed circuit television.

Through constant monitoring the Race Directoris able to assess the seriousness of an accidentand either stop other cars running or control theirpace using the Safety Car. These measuresenable medical intervention teams to gain unen-cumbered access to the scene of an accident.

Safety in Motorsport

7 • Formula Zero

SAFETY REGULATIONS

The FIA governs international motorsportthrough the World Motor Sport Council. Thisbody is assisted by specialised sporting commis-sions and working groups. These groups involvethe participation of experts from teams, circuits,the medical profession and organising bodies.

It is through the application of FIA rules andthrough a system of close co-operation betweenthe FIA and all those involved in organising andparticipating in motorsport that fast responses tonew safety issues are possible. Safety measurescan, if necessary, be introduced within weeks.

In the decade from 1988 to 1998 there were 28regulation changes to the Formula One structuralrigidity crash test. In contrast, until 1998 theEuropean Commission’s crash test regulationsfor road cars had remained unaltered for 24years.

A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

A recent example of a successful partnershipapproach to improving safety can be seen in thenew Head and Neck Support (HANS) driverprotection system, developed jointly by the FIA,DaimlerChrysler and McLaren International.

Developed to offer additional driver protectionin head-on and oblique frontal impacts, HANS isbased on a rigid, collar-shaped carbon fibre shellwhich is held on to the upper body by the seat-belts and fastened to the helmet with tethers. Inan accident, the head’s extreme acceleratedmovements are minimised and dangerous neckstrain is reduced by the stabilising effect of thesystem.

Increasingly the world’s motor manufacturerssee motorsport as a research medium not onlyfor performance improvements but also forsafety developments. The FIA is convinced thatthe lessons learned on the track can yield signif-icant safety benefits on the road.

Formula Zero • 8

In 95% of road accidents driver error is acontributing factor. But according to theFormula Zero approach changing driver behav-iour through information, education and trainingshould not be seen in isolation from the roadenvironment in which this behaviour takes place.

Improving driver attitudes towards safety as wellas improving vehicle safety design and roadlayout are vital elements in reducing road casu-alties.

The FIA has identified four priority areas ofpolicy and campaign focus to improve driversafety over the next 10 years. The FIA believesthat in each area of activity a specific and quan-tifiable target for changing driver behaviourshould be set by member state governments.

Road safety budgets should be increased on an auto-matic annual escalator until these targets arereached. Motorists have a right to expect such aninvestment in their safety in return for the taxes theypay.

DRIVER EDUCATION

Improving and extending driver education is ofvital importance in the reduction of deaths andinjuries on Europe's roads. FIA member organi-sations throughout the EU have taken a leadingrole in the provision of driver training.

In addition to the basic physical and theoreticalskills involved in learning to drive the FIA believesthat hazard perception skills and defensive drivingtechniques should form an intrinsic part of thedriver training process. These skills should particu-larly recognise the needs of vulnerable road userssuch as pedestrians and cyclists.

The FIA believes that incentive programmes toencourage new and particularly young drivers,who are disproportionately at risk in road acci-dents, to progress to more advanced trainingshould be introduced as a matter of urgency.

The Driver

9 • Formula Zero

SEATBELTS

In 1998 the FIA and motorsport personalitiestook an active role in setting up the firstgenuinely pan-European road safetycampaign. Backed by the EuropeanCommission, national governments and motor-ing organisations the '10 seconds' campaign wasdeveloped to raise awareness of the basic practi-cal steps all drivers and passengers can takebefore the start of every car journey.

Perhaps the most important message of thecampaign and the one which if heeded couldsave more than 7,000 lives every yearfocused on the wearing of seatbelts for everyjourney.

Accident statistics have shown conclusively thatthe seatbelt is the most important piece of lifesaving equipment available within a car.However seatbelt wearing rates for drivers andfront seat passengers vary considerably acrossthe EU. The risk to back seat passengers of notwearing a seatbelt is even less well understoodwith as many as 60% of EU motorists not belt-ing up in the back.

The FIA believes that a long term pan-European campaign supported at a national levelby each member state government should beestablished to promote the seatbelt message.

SPEED

Driving at an inappropriate speed for the condi-tions is one of the most common factors inroad accidents. The wrong speed for the condi-tions significantly influences both the risks of acrash and the subsequent consequences of acrash.

Speed, particularly amongst young drivers, isalso not clearly recognised as a hazard. This iscompounded by the difference between a newdrivers’ subjective assessment of their own driv-ing ability and the level of their ability in reality.

Forming responsible attitudes towards speed aspart of the driver education process is vital but sois the need to ensure that speed limits and enforce-ment levels are set in a consistent and logical way.

Speed limits should aim to engender compli-ance, for this to occur a high level of awarenessabout the safety significance of a given limitmust be established. Too frequently speedlimits are set in an apparently arbitrary and frag-mented manner.

Clearly an efficient enforcement system willalways be needed but convincing the public ofthe importance and relevance of speed limits isan essential part of the Formula Zero strategy.

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FIN IRL D B A F CH I NL UK E S EL P

on motorwayson main roadsin built-up areas

DRIVERS REPORTING THEY OFTEN OR ALWAYS EXCEED THE SPEED LIMIT

(source: AA)

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Formula Zero • 10

The FIA believes that it is vital to publicise aswidely as possible across the EU the risks ofinappropriate speed and the reasons for speedlimits. In addition to the road safety implications,changing driver attitudes to inappropriate speedcan also have tangible environmental benefits(see AIT&FIA policy document ‘Climate forChange, Global Warming and the Automobile’).

The development and deployment of new tech-nologies will have an increasingly positive effecton the management of Europe’s road networks.Experiments with Variable Speed Limits (VSL),such as those on the M25 in the UK, havealready proved to be a traffic managementsuccess which is also popular with motoristsbecause of their tangible benefits.

Research into Intelligent Speed Adaption (ISA)is underway across the EU. The FIA believes thatthe targeted use of such technologies on the roadcould help reduce injuries and fatalities, particu-larly in urban areas.

The Driver

11 • Formula Zero

DRINK AND DRUG DRIVING

Research from the UK Government has revealedthat in 1989 only 3% of a random sample of roadtraffic accident fatalities were known to havebeen driving with drugs in their systems. In thelatest figures, based on a three year DETR study,18% of a random sample of fatalities had takendrugs - a six-fold increase.

Drug driving is a growing phenomena and onewhich police forces across the EU find them-selves ill-equipped to deal with effectively.There are two main categories of drug taking andpotential impairment, one is through the takingof illegal drugs and the other is via the taking ofprescribed drugs consumed in ignorance of theirpotential impairing influence.

The FIA believes that an awareness campaignshould be initiated to warn motorists of thedangers of driving whist using illicit andprescription drugs. This campaign should run inparallel with the ongoing anti-drink drivemessages which have been so successful inchanging attitudes in some EU countries.

The FIA has consistently campaigned for theintroduction of a three tier warning system forlabelling medicinal drugs. This 'traffic light'system would give motorists a clear indication ofthe potential impairing effects of over-the-counter drugs:

Green: Safe or unlikely to produce an effect on driving

Amber: Possible minor effects, check instructions, may not be appropriate

to drive

Red: Likely to produce adverse effects, do not drive

Formula Zero • 12

The Car and Legislation

Because we cannot always rely on driver behav-iour it is impossible to prevent all crashes.Despite this we may be able to prevent fatalitiesand serious injuries in car crashes if the physicaltolerance of the human body is used as one of theessential parameters in the overall design of atransport safety system.

In the early 1990's the FIA campaigned for toughnew crash test standards to be introduced as aminimum passive safety design requirement.The FIA believes that new laws on pedestrianand child seat safety are now urgently requiredto fill the unacceptable gaps in legislation.

TOUGH CRASH TEST LEGISLATION

From October 1st 1998, all new car models soldin the EU had to meet new crashworthiness stan-dards for front and side impacts. The newstandards replaced a single front impact test thatdated back to 1974.

This was one of the most significant improve-ments in road safety legislation in the last twentyyears and this victory for EU motoring consumerswas won by European motoring clubs with unan-imous support from the European Parliament.This was the first time the EC set stricter crashtests standards than those set in the US.

Frontal impact accidents cause 15,000 deathseach year in the EU. For more than twenty yearsall new production cars had been designed topass a frontal crash test which did not replicatereal car-to-car impacts.

The European Commission proposed a changeto the out-dated test but the Commission's choiceof a new test standard was less stringent than thatcampaigned for by independent road safetyexperts. The preferred test used an 'OffsetDeformable Barrier', which simulated both thepartial overlap of typical frontal collision and thereal front structure of a typical car.

Side-impact collisions are the second mostsignificant cause of death and serious injury incar accidents. As many as 6,500 people die inthis type of accident each year on Europeanroads. Despite the frequency and severity ofside-impact collisions, manufacturers wereunder no statutory obligation to set a side-impactsafety standard, and the European Commission'sproposal for a new standard was not as stringentas that campaigned for by the FIA.

In March 1995 the European Parliament beganto examine the Commission's draft Directives.Under the co-decision procedure the Parliamentcould table amendments to the draft Directive.At a public hearing held in Brussels the FIApresented its case.

To reinforce the argument for high safety standards,Grand Prix driver Gerhard Berger attended the hear-ing. Mr Berger drew parallels with the improvedsafety performance of Formula One racing cars,where as we have seen, tough new rules and tech-nology, combined with rigorous crash testing, havedramatically reduced the number of fatal accidents.

13 • Formula Zero

Following this presentation and the campaignefforts of FIA member clubs the EuropeanParliament responded positively to the case formore stringent standards. The Parliament'srapporteur on the legislation, Alan DonnellyMEP, put forward 44 pages of amendments tothe draft directive based on the FIA's recommen-dations. The amendments were passedunanimously at first reading on 12 July 1995.

The introduction of new crash test legislation wasthe first objective in the FIA's long-term commit-ment to improve safety standards. The legislationprovides a minimum statutory standard of safetyfor new cars but it was always the FIA's intentionto encourage manufacturers to exceed these mini-mum requirements.

The FIA has identified two key areas in whichlegislation should be introduced as a matter ofurgency:

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Every year more than 9,000 pedestrians andcyclists are killed on EU roads, more than200,000 are seriously injured. Most cases occurin frontal collisions in urban areas at speeds ofup to 40km/h.

The FIA believes that adopting the right legisla-tive requirement for pedestrian protection is oneof the most important road safety measures stillto be addressed by the EU.

A European Commission proposal adopting thevery latest research is expected. Improvementsneed to be introduced on the basis of realisticlead times but manufacturers should be encour-aged to introduce measures ahead of legislation.

CHILD SAFETY

More than 70% of parents may be inadvertentlyputting their children’s’ lives at risk becausechild seats are not properly fitted.

Different makes of child seat have a variety offitting arrangements that can often lead to confu-sion and potentially lethal mistakes.

ISOFIX is a standardised system which is simpleto use and offers potentially higher level ofprotection.

The FIA believes that new legislation should beintroduced to make the ISOFIX system a manda-tory requirement for all new cars sold in Europe.

The FIA also believes that more research shouldbe undertaken into improving the effectivenessof child seat safety design in side impact colli-sions, particularly in relation to head injuries.

Formula Zero • 14

DK FIN NL IRL B A GR P E I UK F D

pedestrian fatalitiescyclist fatalities

1996 ROAD ACCIDENT STATISTICS(source: CARE - NATIONAL SOURCES)

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The Car and the Consumer

After a 24 year wait the European Communityupdated its crash test legislation. In contrast theEuropean New Car Assessmen tProgramme (Euro NCAP), in just three years,has encouraged some major car manufacturers todevelop products that comfortably exceed thenew legislative standards.

In the European Commission’s latest communi-cation on road safety Euro NCAP was identifiedas one of the Commission’s six priorities foraction.

According to the communication, Euro NCAPhas accelerated the improvement of car safetydesign by five years. It has also proved to be themost cost effective programme for saving livesand preventing injuries on Europe’s roads inwhich the European Commission has beeninvolved.

THE PROGRAMME

Euro NCAP acts as a catalyst for improved vehi-cle safety in the EU. Backed by the EuropeanCommission, EU Governments and motoringand consumer organisations the programmeoffers consumers a reliable guide to the safetyperformance of some of the most popular carssold in Europe.

By helping consumers to make an informedchoice Euro NCAP aims to establish a genuineEU market for safety recognised by consumersand manufacturers alike.

The cars tested show that a broad range of manu-facturers are producing safer cars and areresponding rapidly to the test programme. EuroNCAP is delighted by this level of co-operationand such clear evidence of manufacturer effortsto make the cars they produce safer than everbefore.

In addition to the front, side impact and pedes-trian tests which form part of the existing testprotocols the safety performance of childrestraints are also assessed.

Recently Euro NCAP has moved forward on twofronts: a new test to assess the risk of a fatal headinjury and the move from four to five star ratingsfor cars. These important changes set an addi-tional challenge, which some car makers havealready taken up, in meeting Euro NCAP's evermore demanding requirements.

15 • Formula Zero

HEAD PROTECTION

Accident patterns vary from country to countrywithin Europe, but approximately a quarter of allserious-to-fatal injuries happen in side impactcollisions. Many of these injuries occur whenone car runs into the side of another. But inGermany over half such injuries occur when acar hits a pole or a tree.

To encourage manufacturers to fit head protectiondevices, a pole or head protection test has beenadded to the Euro NCAP protocols. Side impactairbags help to make this kind of crash survivable.They are also very effective in other types of sideimpact accidents such as being hit by another vehi-cle where the bonnet enters the window at headheight.

In the new test, the car tested is propelled side-ways at 18 mph into a rigid pole. The pole isrelatively narrow, so there is major penetrationinto the side of the car. In an impact without thehead protecting airbag, a driver's head could hitthe pole with sufficient force to cause a fatalhead injury.

Typically a head injury criterion of 5000 ispossible, five times that which indicates the like-lihood of serious brain injury. In contrast, thehead injury criterion in these new crash testswith a head protection airbag is around 100 to300, well below the injury reference value. Aside impact airbag with head protection makesthis kind of crash survivable despite the severity.

In acknowledgement of the benefits of headprotection devices Euro NCAP will award addi-tional points to those cars which can pass thenew pole or head protection test.

As a consequence a five star Euro NCAP ratingis now achievable. All Euro NCAP ratings willnow be shown out of five stars instead of fourstars as in the past.

Euro NCAP is recognised as having a majorinfluence in improving passive safety design inEurope if not in the world. The programmeclearly demonstrates that well-founded andtargeted consumer information can raise productquality within the EU.

INCENTIVES FOR SAFETY

The European motoring organisations haveplayed a significant role in improving safetylegislation as well as raising consumer safetyawareness. Manufacturers have worked hard toimprove the active and passive safety perform-ance of their vehicles. Governments must nowmatch these efforts.

The FIA believes that consumers should begiven the strongest incentive to buy the safestcars on the market. Significant safety benefitscould be rapidly introduced to the EU vehicleparc if tax breaks were introduced by memberstate governments for the best performing cars inEuro NCAP.

Formula Zero • 16

The Road

Road design, maintenance and modernisation arecentral to the Formula Zero strategy. The benefitsfrom raising the standards of drivers and improvingthe safety design of cars will be undermined if roadsare unsafe or poorly maintained.

MOTORWAYS & TRUNK ROADS

Despite motorways typically carrying a quarter ofcar traffic and more than half of lorry traffic at highspeeds, less than one in ten deaths or seriousinjuries occur on our fastest roads. Because of thehigh speeds travelled safety has long been a prior-ity on motorways and trunk roads. But there is stillroom for improvement.

Technology has a major role to play in improv-ing motorway safety. Many motorway accidentsare caused by late awareness of slowed orstopped traffic ahead - the 'pile-up'. When anaccident occurs on the Formula One track, thedrivers approaching the incident have instantinformation relayed to them from trackside offi-cials and from the teams, through direct cockpitcommunication, enabling them to slow down,stop or take evasive action. Similar early warn-ing can work for public roads. Increasing thetime available to drivers to slow down before anincident on a motorway, by providing real timeroadside information, has been shown to reduceaccidents by 18%.

Roadside telematics, and the development offuture direct in-car communication systems,should be encouraged. Intelligent TransportSystems (ITS) that go beyond simply providing

information to control and direct traffic couldalso bring safety benefits. The variable speedlimits introduced on Europe's busiest motorway,the M25 in Britain, were intended to combatcongestion by smoothing traffic flow. But speedlimit compliance, enforced by police cameras,has been high and excessive speeding has alsobeen reduced. If research proves that accidentfigures have improved as a result, investment inwider use of variable speed limits must be apriority.

LOCAL ROADS

The vast majority of accidents take place on localroads, due not least to numerous junctions, trafficsignals and crossings, obscured vision and unex-pected hazards. But a key cause of traffic accidentscan be the design of the road itself.

Many accidents occur as the result of inappropri-ate speed for the conditions. Despite speed limitsigns, drivers will often drive at a speed they feelis suitable and safe for the road layout.Designing roads to take into account driverperception may involve 'slowing down' thevisual impression of the road, greater use ofspeed signs, changing the colour of the roadsurface and using road markings (or removingthem) to influence the judgement of motorists.Studies in the Netherlands suggest that a combi-nation of these measures can have some effect onthe driver's perception of acceptable speed, butmore research is needed.

17 • Formula Zero

Too many stretches of road are still designed foran age when volume and speed of traffic was farlower. Updating the road geometry, examiningpositioning of junctions and signs and improvingroad surfaces and barriers is the only way tobring our road network into the twenty-firstcentury.

LOW COST MEASURES

Low cost measures (LCM) can make a greatdifference to accident reduction for relativelylow outlay. In the United Kingdom it is esti-mated that every £10 million spent on low costschemes results in 24 fewer deaths or seriousinjuries, and brings a return on investment ofalmost £4 million (DETR).

MAINTENANCE AND RESURFACING

Regular road maintenance is also highly costeffective, and reduces the length of time thatnetworks are disrupted. Poorly maintained roadscan be dangerous, particularly to cyclists andmotorcyclists. Uncollected debris or litter ishazardous to all road users, and can be sympto-matic of a wider neglect of the road network.

Major maintenance, such as resurfacing, shouldprovide the opportunity for reviewing the mate-rials used on the road. Greater use of porousasphalt, for example, would reduce surface waterand noise and improve both skid resistance andvisibility.

ROUTES TO SAFETY

In their latest road safety communication theCommission identified accident ‘black spot’management and the design of ‘forgiving’ road-sides as one of their six short and medium termpriorities.

The FIA supports proposals for a recognised EU-wide road audit system. Highway authorities thatfail in their public duty to provide safe roads,particularly once defects have been identified,should be named and shamed. The ability of thepublic to prove official liability for dangerousroads should also be examined.

The auditing of Europe's roads should be based ona three tier 'traffic light' system. The auditingshould reflect what is designated as a 'collisionseverity index' in Sweden.

Green: Formula Zero standard

Amber: some risk of death or serious injury

Red: high risk of death or serious injury

The FIA believes that assessment methods basedon the 'collision severity index' should be intro-duced across Europe. Ongoing EU wide testingalong the lines of a European Road AssessmentProgramme (Euro RAP) should then be initiatedas a priority to help reduce the proportion ofEurope's roads which pose an unacceptablesafety risk.

Formula Zero • 18

Conclusion

Formula Zero is a road safety philosophy whichquestions many of the assumptions made in exist-ing approaches to road safety policy.

The FIA’s starting point rejects the acceptabilityof deaths and injuries on our roads whilst recog-nising that accidents will inevitably happen. Thefocus in this document has been to address theconsequences of accidents.

Many organisations and stakeholders - frommotor manufacturers to motoring organisations -will play an important role in achieving FormulaZero’s objectives. But the primary responsibilityin developing and implementing effective roadsafety strategies must rest with our governments.

EU citizens now pay approximately 230 billioneuros each year in motoring taxes. Yet only a tinyproportion of this revenue is re-invested in roadsafety activity.

If the Formula Zero approach is to be achievedEU governments must commit to increasing themoney available for road safety.

It is clear from the conclusions of the latest EuropeanCommission communication on the EU road safetyaction programme that the cost of preventing acci-dents is much less than the economic cost ofcasualties and damage caused by them.

In line with this, and as an integral means of devel-oping a Formula Zero approach, the FIA wants tosee the introduction of road safety ‘escalators’,

annual above-inflation increases in the budget forsafety by national governments and for genuinelypan-European initiatives by the EuropeanCommission.

If Formula Zero is to be successful and Sweden’s‘Vision Zero’ approach has already demon-strated what can be achieved, it is essential to putin place the political and financial commitmentto realise what amounts to a road safety revolu-tion.

In this document the FIA has focused on thethree main parameters which must be addressedin the road transport system. Within each of theparameters, and as a starting point for future roadsafety initiatives, the FIA has also identified keyareas for action.

THE DRIVER

For the driver the FIA believes that a more co-ordinated approach to safety campaigning and toimproving driver behaviour should be adoptedon a pan-European basis.

Priorities for action:

• Driver education and training• Seat belt compliance• Speed• Drink and drug driving

19 • Formula Zero

THE CAR

In improving the safety performance of cardesign the FIA believes in a strategy whichcombines consumer information and fiscalincentives to encourage the scrappage of oldercars and the purchase of newer, safer models.This renewal of the car parc will bring benefitsin terms of air quality and CO2 reductions aswell as in safety performance.

When the various stakeholders in the automotivesector work together to promote safety, the resultscan be impressive. Euro NCAP, as previouslyexplained, has led to dramatic improvements incar design above and beyond what legislationalone has achieved.

Through the marketing strategies of those carmanufacturers that have chosen to capitalise onthe success in the crash test programme, the roadsafety message has reached millions throughadvertising. The communications success of EuroNCAP could provide a model for future pan-European safety campaigning.

To date five member state governments and theEuropean Commission financially support theEuro NCAP programme. The FIA would encour-age other EU governments to participatefinancially in the programme to accelerate thesubstantial benefits of the programme evenfurther.

Priorities for action:

• Accelerating improvements to occupant safety design

• Accelerating improvements to pedestrian safety design

• Accelerating improvements to child seat safety design

THE ROAD

Addressing the quality and safety design ofEurope’s roads infrastructure is a vital aspect ofroad safety policy. In the Formula Zero approachimproved road layout and safety designs must becombined with pedestrian friendly vehicledesign if we are to reduce pedestrian deaths andinjuries.

Priorities for action:• EU-wide road audit• European Road Assessment Programme (Euro

RAP)

If Formula Zero is to be successful it must inform thework of all those who have an impact on road safety:car-makers, legislators, road designers and, ofcourse, drivers themselves.

But ultimately it is up to governments to provideand to facilitate the financial and politicalsupport for a road safety strategy fit for the newcentury.

The FIA believes that road safety strategy isFormula Zero.

Formula Zero • 20

Established in 1904 the FIA represents the inter-ests of motoring organisations and motoriststhroughout the world. The FIA is also thegoverning body of world motorsport. Thiscombination of road and track gives the FIA aunique responsibility as an independent worldbody concerned with a wide range of automo-tive, motoring and mobility issues.

The FIA is a non-profit making associationwhich brings together some 150 national motor-ing organisations on five continents. Its memberclubs represent over 100 million motorists andtheir families. This is a powerful mandate whichthe FIA is proud to defend. On issues such assafety, mobility, the environment and consumerprotection the FIA actively promotes andprotects the interests of motorists at the UnitedNations, within the European Union and otherinternational bodies.

In the EU the FIA has established a joint Bureauwith its sister organisation the AIT to representthe interests of more than forty million motoringconsumers.

The European Bureau's staff of campaigns,policy and technical experts monitor the work ofthe EU institutions and co-ordinate mediacampaigning and political activity in membermotoring organisations across the EuropeanUnion.

Expert working groups of AIT & FIA clubspecialists in legal and consumer affairs, tourismand technical policy are brought together by theBureau to consider the latest EU legislativeissues and to develop common policies for thebenefit of motoring consumers in all fifteenmember states.

For more information contact:

FIA8, place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris

+ 33 1 43 12 44 55 (t)+ 33 1 43 12 44 66 (f)

FIA European Office50 rue d’ArlonB-1000 Brussels

+ 32 2 286 80 43 (t)+ 32 2 286 80 44 (f)

The FIA

21 • Formula Zero

Front cover photograph - Michael Cooper / Allsport

Jacques Villeneuve crashes at Eau Rouge during the qualifying for the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, 28 August 1999

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