New specialist transport strategy - same goal, new path

New specialist transport strategy - same goal, new path - #Leben

In their daily efforts to combat death and serious injuries on the roads, the police in North Rhine-Westphalia are realigning their strategy for greater safety on the roads, cycle paths and freeways at the start of 2024.

Traffic

Ministry of the Interior of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

100 police officers from all management levels of the police organization contributed their operational and life experience to develop a powerful strategy based on a comprehensive analysis of accident trends in NRW, which can be implemented immediately in practice on the roads.

The 47 district police authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia have already been working with the strategy for more safety on the roads since the beginning of 2024. This strategy has recently been given the title #LEBEN throughout the state. The term sums up the efforts of the police to reduce serious traffic accidents.

In future, the safety of vulnerable road users will be given even greater focus: pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders. The aim is to consistently punish misconduct towards this group and to point out the potentially drastic consequences of misconduct in a "traffic didactic" (explanatory) discussion. However, it is not always the motorized participants who cause an accident with injuries by breaking the rules. Disregarding red light violations by cyclists, for example, also leads to accidents with serious consequences.

Speed checks are another important aspect of the new specialist traffic strategy. Checks are always unannounced and involve stops.

This is not a new principle. Traffic rules and speed limits apply to every road user at all times. Road users should be aware that police traffic monitoring of compliance with traffic regulations can take place unannounced at any time and anywhere and that any violations detected will be punished consistently - because compliant behavior is an essential guarantee for the sustainable and effective reduction of the number of serious injuries and fatalities in road traffic in the sense of Vision Zero.

The evaluation of accident figures in North Rhine-Westphalia has shown that disregarding the distance has led to accidents with serious consequences, especially on freeways. For this reason, the new specialist strategy also focuses on punishing distance violations.

The investigation of road accidents involving personal injury and fleeing is already a high priority. However, an examination of the procedure has shown that there is room for improvement here. Accidents involving fleeing and personal injury can have both physical and psychological consequences for the victims. This is why there is a further focus here.