H.M. Konungens tal om trafiksäkerhet under statsbesöket i Polen
Polen
(Det talade ordet gäller)
Ministers,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be here at this Traffic Safety Conference in Wroclaw today. Personally, I have a great interest in cars. As a frequent car driver I fully understand the issues of traffic safety, and I am very pleased that we have all gathered here today to share one vision: the vision that any loss of life on our roads is unacceptable!
In Sweden we call this vision the Vision Zero Initiative: a joint initiative by the Swedish Transport Administration and the Swedish Trade Council aiming to exchange knowledge and experience within the areas of traffic safety.
During the last 20 years the fatality rate on the Polish roads has decreased drastically from about 8000 in 1991 to less than 4000 last year. This is an amazing result due to safer roads and vehicles. Sweden also showed a very good result last year presenting the lowest number of victims on the Swedish roads during the last 100 years, less than 300 people. This is due to improved traffic environment in urban areas and that the Swedish users of the road system have become better drivers.
My hope for today is that we shall all make sincere efforts to change the rate of accidents in our countries, starting with our mindset regarding safety as a precondition for mobility. May this conference be a way for us to exchange experiences and technologies as a way to learn from each other.
I extend my wishes for a fruitful discussion here today and wish you the best of luck in your efforts!
Thank you for your attention.
