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Anastasia Balezdrova

Road accidents are still the leading cause of death in Europe. According to official statistics, in 2010 the number of deaths per day in all European Union member states was 84.

Even more disturbing is the finding that road accidents are the most common cause of death in the 15-29 age group. In Greece, every day, five people lose their lives on the road.

A few days before the Christmas and New Year holidays, the low temperatures and poor weather conditions are hindering drivers and increasing the number of road accidents. The authorities responsible for road safety are in a state of readiness to reduce the risk of loss of other lives.

In recent years, the Road Safety Institute "Panos Mylonas", the purpose of which is to inform and be proactive, has made similar efforts as well and today, its founder Vasiliki Danelli – Mylona opened the first Road Safety Information Centre established within this context.

The Centre is located in the heart of Athens, in the "Book Bazaar" on Pesmazoglou Street. "Our goal was to locate it in a central and easily accessible place in order to be able to inform the citizens more effectively," she said in her speech.

The centre offers a variety of materials containing information on traffic rules, analyses of the state of the road network and data on the cooperation of the Institute with the authorities, the aim of which is the improvement of conditions. A TV screen installed near the window of the centre informs the citizens about the most dangerous places where there is a high concentration of accidents.

From May 2010 to today, the Institute has trained more than 23,000 pupils from primary schools. In parallel, it organises campaigns like "European Night without Road Accidents" which was carried out in 39 nightclubs in 21 different Greek cities.

The Institute is the founder of the National Road Safety Centre, where special equipment has been installed. Students and mature citizens have the opportunity to become aware of the weight of their own bodies and of the objects in a car during a crash at different speeds. They can train and test their driving skills in different situations with the help of a training simulation car and a vehicle-overturning simulator.

As is clear from the video of the Greek traffic police, the most common causes of road accidents are as follows:

- Jumping red lights

- Crossing over the double line

- Improper overtaking

- High speed

- Driving under the influence of alcohol.

The data clearly show that, in all cases, the behaviour of the driver is crucial in avoiding road accidents. This November, 536 road accidents, which injured 628 people, were recorded in the region of Attica alone. In 26 of the cases, the victims were heavily injured.

The association "Roads of the Future", which is already operating under the auspices of the Institute, involves public institutions and private companies in the field of transport, the aim of which is to improve the road conditions and to minimize the risks for drivers and passengers.