Jürg Röthlisberger, Director of the Swiss Federal Road Office (FEDRO) has been presented with the 2017 ETSC Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) award on behalf of Switzerland.
The annual award recognises long-term efforts to reduce deaths and serious injuries on European roads.
Switzerland registered a 15% drop in road deaths in 2016. Deaths have declined by 34% since 2010, and by 60% since 2001.
The country now has the lowest road mortality (26 deaths per million inhabitants) in Europe, together with Norway (last year’s winner) and has climbed five places in ETSC’s ranking over the last five years.
Commenting on the award, Antonio Avenoso said: “Switzerland deserves international recognition because, despite its good record on road safety, the country has refused to rest on its laurels. Since 2013, the Via sicura programme has led to the announcement of 20 new measures. Switzerland now has zero tolerance of drink driving for novice and commercial vehicle drivers, is improving infrastructure safety and is drafting legislation to lower the risks among young and novice drivers. We hope Switzerland’s win sends a positive message to other traditional road safety leaders who have dropped the ball in recent years such as the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.”
Download the report: Ranking EU progress on road safety – the 11th annual PIN report
