Introduction

The significance of traffic safety on public roads; the situation in Hungary

One of the basic aims of transport policy is the maintenance and improvement of traffic safety on public roads. Traffic safety activities are extremely complex, and include, for example all of the following questions rolled into one: technical (vehicle and road engineering), organisational (traffic engineering), legal, educational, inspections, health, economics and environmental protection. From the point of view of traffic safety, traffic on public roads is of particular importance, as more than 90% of the accidents involving fatalities and injuries happen on public roads.
1990 was a black year for domestic public road traffic, when nearly 2500 people needlessly lost their lives as a result of accidents on public roads. Significant improvements have been achieved since then, and by 2000 the number of fatalities in accidents on public roads had fallen to some 1200. The National Traffic Safety Programme, elaborated under the leadership of KTI with the participation of external professional experts (from both at home and many from abroad) and passed by the Government in 1993, played an important role in this. The coordinated activities of the programme brought about huge advances in all areas of traffic safety. The Department of Traffic Safety and Traffic Engineering played a defining role in its elaboration, and, using all its resources, continues to play a major part in realising the goals that have been set.

The activities and results of the department

On the one hand, in the professional field of traffic safety and traffic engineering, we participate in all the tasks related to the transport portfolio (GKM). These cover research and development, evaluation and analysis, preparation of regulations, and the tasks arising from international activities and obligations, and also include coordinating the work of external professional experts and integrating their activities.
On the other hand, we also play an important part in the elaboration of tasks belonging to the department's specialist areas and cropping up in the market territory.