International conference on Intelligent Speed Assistance

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) Hosted its 2016 International Road Safety Conference at Dublin Castle on Thursday 28th April. The theme of the conference focused on the use of technology to manage speed and ran from 10am to 13.35pm in the Main Conference Hall, Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.

According to the ETSC, 500 people are killed on EU roads every week; speed is the primary factor in 1 in 3 fatal collisions. The conference, which was held as part of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) iSAFER campaign, looked at the use of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) as a measure to reduce speed on our roads. ISA uses a speed sign-recognition video camera and/or GPS-linked speed limit data to advise drivers of the current speed limit; the most advanced systems can automatically limit the speed of the vehicle as needed (though the driver is still able to override the system).

At the conference the RSA launched a new report that revealed between 2008 and 2012, 322 people died in collisions where excessive speed was a contributory factor. The report, analysed An Garda Síochána Forensic Collision Investigation reports in order to identify the main contributory factors in collisions on Irish roads.

983 fatal collisions occurred on Irish roads between 2008 and 2012, claiming the lives of 1,077 people. The forensic details of 867 fatal collisions were analysed to identify the cause of the collision – of these, excessive speed for the road and conditions was a main contributory factor in 1 in 3 (274), fatal collisions claiming the lives of 322 people. A further 74 people were seriously injured.

The conference, which was attended by over 200 delegates, featured speakers from France, Sweden, Germany, the UK and Ireland. Among the speakers at the conference was:

• Mr Jean Todt, Special Envoy for Road Safety for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), welcome video
• Dr Conor Deasy, Consultant in Emergency Medicine CUH and Clinical Lead for Major Trauma Audit, NOCA
• Ms. Maggie Martin, Research Manager, Road Safety Authority
• Mr John McCarthy, Principal Officer, Department of Transport Tourism & Sport
• Professor Oliver Carsten, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
• Mr Niall Carty, Head of Road Safety Advocacy, Federation Internationale De L’Automobile
• Superintendent Con O’ Donoghue, Garda National Traffic Bureau, An Garda Síochána
• Professor Anders Lie, Swedish Transport Administration / Euro NCAP
• Mr Mikael Wik, Technical Manager, Sepab
• Mr Thomas Lukaszewicz, Manager Automated Driving Europe, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering Centre, Germany

The conference was chaired by Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs at AA Ireland

Please click here to view the SWOV Fact Sheet on Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA).

Please click here to view the Full report on Fatal Collisions 2008-2012, Excessive Speed as a Factor.

Please see here to view the Executive Summary from the Report Fatal Collisions 2008-2012, Excessive Speed as a Factor.

Please see Agenda here

Please see videos of presentations here