16 Mar 2012

GENEVA / ROAD SAFETY

Speaking following this week’s tragic coach crash in Switzerland, the director for transport at the UNECE said today that drivers can become too relaxed if they feel roads are particularly safe and that in itself can be hazardous. CH UNTV

Posted at: March 16, 2012 11:44 am

Duration: 00:41

Available in: SD

DOWNLOAD

Full script

STORY: GENEVA / ROAD SAFETY 
TRT:  0.41
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

DATELINE: 16 MARCH 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:

FILE – 2011, PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Med shot, UN Flag

16 MARCH 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, Eva Molnar, Director of Transport Division, UNECE, walking
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eva Molnar, Director of Transport Division, UNECE: 
"There are a couple of countries in Europe that are considered to be particularly safe, Switzerland is one of them. But when you see that a country is very safe in road traffic, that creates new hazards, new risks for the participants, for the drivers, because we may become very relaxed. In a very safe environment we may not feel the danger as much as in a less safe environment and that could be perhaps an area that we will have to look at, as well through better driver training."

FILE – 2011, PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

4. Med shot, UN Flag

STORYLINE:

Roads considered to be particularly safe can often leave drivers with a false sense of security, according to the United Nations agency which specializes in road safety.

Speaking following this week's tragic coach crash (13 March) in Switzerland, the Director of Transport for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), said that drivers could become too relaxed if they feel roads are particularly safe and that in itself can be hazardous.

In 2001, UNECE issued recommendations on safety in tunnels following three major accidents in Alpine road tunnels. Next week a working group of road safety experts will meet in Geneva– the Swiss coach crash and road tunnel safety are expected to be added to the agenda.