Road safety (RS) is one of the major challenges of the modern world. More than a million road fatalities annually worldwide, constituting the main cause of death of young people (up to 25 years of age) and an increasing proportion of elderly among victims, is a sufficient argument to take radical remedial action. The situation in Europe indicates very clearly that there has been no significant improvement in road safety in recent years. The road infrastructure safety management system (RISM) has been implemented and developed as part of comprehensive efforts to improve RS. The first EU Directive2008/96/EC stipulated mandatory coverage of only the TEN-T network. The new Directive 2019/1936/EC (Directive) covers all national roads and all other roads the construction or reconstruction of which will be financed or co-financed by the EU. The effectiveness of implementing the Directive relies primarily on preparing dedicated safety management staff. These specialists must be highly competent in both theoretical and practical aspects of road safety. Due to large gaps in technical university curricula in the RS area, future staff of road authorities will not be fully prepared for challenges that are imposed by the Directive. In addition, staff already engaged in RISM must constantly supplement their knowledge and gain new experience in this field. This will allow for a permanent increase in their competence, which will contribute to the increase of the level of RISM and consequently decrease the number of accidents and victims. RS is an area which combines various disciplines: engineering, mechanics, psychology, sociology and others. It is also an area undergoing constant changes (e.g. the emergence of a new risk group, the elderly). Therefore, it requires the adaptation of methods, tools and actions to improve the safety of road users. Due to the wide variation in the level of RS in European countries and diverse experience of good and bad practice, international cooperation is needed to exchange experiences, to standardise the implementation of high safety norms through appropriate methods and tools. Three factors: interdisciplinarity, variability, and international cooperation force the undertaking of actions to improve education and increase expertise and competences. The EuroS@P project will raise the level of teaching and training, using innovative didactic materials that will be widely available. The implementation works are divided into 7 work packages, resulting in 16 Intellectual Outputs (IO). IO.1-4 will include a review of existing educational and RISM implementation activities in partner countries. In IO.5-9 and IO.10-13 new teaching and training materials will be developed, including analytical and field work (in four partner countries). They will enable the construction of methods and tools to assess the safety of road infrastructure. The methods and tools will be dedicated to RS inspections, especially on regional and local roads and the assessment of the safety of pedestrian crossings. IO.14-16 will cover the development of an e-learning platform with prepared materials. This will increase the availability and promotion of the project results. The main objective of the EuroS@P project is to promote the best educational solutions in the RISM area, with increase of awareness and knowledge of RS, by: 1) Developing an e-learning platform with access to project products, 2) The development of teaching and training materials dedicated to conducting classes at universities and training courses for RISM staff, 3) Raising competences and skills in RISM, by changing curricula at universities and equipping students and staff with didactic materials based on innovative RISM methods and tools, 4) Creating the foundations for Road Safety Professional Certification (RSP), 5) The development of a lasting relationship and the continuation of active international cooperation between project partners with the possibility of its extension to other institutions. The EuroS@P project targets the following groups: 1) Students, researchers, academic teachers at universities. 2) Road authority staff at national, regional and local levels. 3) Experts, specialists, practitioners involved in RS activities, including staff who conduct training in various RS courses. 4) All users of road infrastructure, as an indirect target group, for whom the risk of road accidents will ultimately be reduced by increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of RISM activities. The project is also supported by a group of associates who will cooperate with project partners to consult and evaluate the results. They will implement final products and promote the dissemination and accessibility of the project results.
The project aimed to promote excellence in teaching and skills development in the field of road safety infrastructure management (RSIM). The project had seek to encourage innovative solutions and develop students and project participants who will become leaders in implementing such solutions in the future. Safety is currently the most important criterion in the design and maintenance of road infrastructure. The EuroS@P project has enabled the creation of innovative educational content through international cooperation, practical implementations, and research projects. The participation of reputable partners in the RS improvement field has allowed the promotion of best practices in RS management. This will prepare the next generation of road authority staff for the challenges imposed by the Directive. The project's results will help students, RS specialists, and road authority staff improve their competence and knowledge in the area of RSIM. The project will also foster cooperation among various European scientific and research centers in the field of RSIM. The project emphasizes the importance of extending and developing the competencies of educators and other personnel who support adult learners. To achieve this, the competence of educational staff must be improved continuously, and road authority staff responsible for RISM must keep their knowledge updated and verified. As the field of RS is constantly evolving with new methods, techniques, and tools, it is crucial to raise the knowledge of educational staff. The EuroS@P project has developed new curricula with innovative teaching methods based on scientific research. The project has prioritized the development of innovative training materials for RISM training. These materials are based on the exchange of knowledge and experience from various scientific and research centres, and they are available on the e-learning platform. The project also emphasizes the need for long-term cooperation in raising competencies that will extend beyond the project's time frame and enable the implementation of future projects. These are the key intellectual outputs of the project: 1. Review of tools and methods for assessing planned road impact on traffic safety on a cooperating road network. 2. Review of tools and methods for identifying high accident rate episodes and ensuring network safety. 3. Review of tools, methods, and programs for conducting road safety on existing roads including inspection of the different types of roads, and specify places like interchanges, intersection, and pedestrian crossing. 4. Review of tools and methods for inspecting road infrastructure safety. 5. Development of a methodology for road safety inspections. 6. Development of a methodology for managing pedestrian crossing safety.
Road safety (RS) is a major challenge facing the modern world, with over a million road fatalities each year worldwide. This constitutes the leading cause of death among young people (up to 25 years of age) and an increasing proportion of elderly victims. The situation in Europe indicates that there has been no significant improvement in road safety in recent years. The Road Infrastructure Safety Management System (RISM) has been developed to improve road safety. The first EU Directive 2008/96/EC stipulated mandatory coverage of only the TEN-T network. The new Directive 2019/1936/EC covers all national roads and all other roads that will be financed or co-financed by the EU. The effectiveness of implementing the Directive relies on preparing dedicated safety management staff. These specialists must be highly competent in both theoretical and practical aspects of road safety. However, there are significant gaps in technical university curricula in the area of road safety. This suggests that future staff of road authorities will not be fully prepared for the challenges imposed by the Directive. Additionally, staff already engaged in RISM must constantly supplement their knowledge and gain new experience in this field. This will allow for a permanent increase in their competence, which will contribute to the increase of the level of RISM and consequently decrease the number of accidents and victims. Road safety is an interdisciplinary area that requires adaptation of methods, tools, and actions to improve the safety of road users. Due to the wide variation in the level of road safety in European countries, international cooperation is needed to exchange experiences, standardize the implementation of high safety norms through appropriate methods and tools. The EuroS@P project will raise the level of teaching and training, using innovative didactic materials that will be widely available. The project was divided into six work packages, resulting in 13 Intellectual Outputs (IO). The new teaching and training materials were developed, including analytical and fieldwork methods and tools dedicated to RS inspections existing roads and the assessment of the safety of pedestrian crossings. The development of an e-learning platform with prepared materials will increase the availability and promotion of the project results. The main objective of the EuroS@P project was to promote the best educational solutions in the RISM area, with the increase of awareness and knowledge of RS. This includes building an e-learning platform with access to project products, developing teaching and training materials dedicated to conducting classes at universities and training courses for RISM staff, raising competences and skills in RISM by changing curricula at universities and equipping students and staff with didactic materials based on innovative RISM methods and tools, creating the foundations for Road Safety Professional Certification (RSP), and developing a lasting relationship and the continuation of active international cooperation between project partners with the possibility of its extension to other institutions. The EuroS@P project targets at tudents, researchers, and academic teachers at universities, road authority staff at national, regional, and local levels, experts, specialists, and practitioners involved in RS activities, including staff who conduct training in various RS courses, and all users of road infrastructure.