The multiple rally champion says in the open letter how the number of road accidents can be reduced.
Titi Aur, expert in preventive management PHOTO: Archive
For more than a decade, Titi Aur, multiple motoring champion and expert in preventive driving, has been developing a project of studying and researching the methods by which road safety can be increased.
It has a driver training center that includes both simulators and practice tracks. Titi Aur says that the authorities are taking steps to reduce the number of accidents, which is why he has an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport on his website, academytitiaur.ro.
“I am Titi Aur and I have spent my whole life up to now in the field of driving cars: for pleasure, for necessity, for performance – many car races and many titles won, and in the last part of the sports activity, but also after I finished -o, I have been and am involved in increasing road safety, in particular in training drivers of motor vehicles and motorcycles to drive safely on public roads.
Since 2013, we have launched an extensive project to study and research the methods by which the safety of motor vehicle and motorcycle drivers can be improved.
This project also has a material component, so we have established an infrastructure for road safety and defensive driving research (Titi Aur Academy), located in the locality of Crevedia, Dâmbovița county, which means: 12.5 hectares, of which 7.8 hectares arranged with : tracks, simulators, roads, classrooms, related equipment, etc., in the amount of 12 million euros, financed in part from the European Regional Development Fund through the Competitiveness Operational Program 2007-2014, with 5.1 million euros through the project of financing no. 618/23.12.2013, signed with the Ministry of Research.
This project also means a team of specialists consisting of: defensive driving trainers, road safety experts, car engineers, test drivers, stuntmen, technicians, etc.
Recently, I have been witnessing a cosmetic presentation, by the state authorities, of the road accidentology phenomenon.
In this context, please allow me to make a few comments:
1. It is accepted worldwide and European to report the number of deaths in road accidents per million inhabitants.
According to this way of reporting, Romania is in last place in Europe with 86 deaths/million while the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland) have 22-26 deaths/million, the European average is 46 and the penultimate country in this ranking, Bulgaria has 78. (European Commission, Fatalities_per_pop_21-22 from 20.10.2023)
It's bad, but it seems acceptable, because…”What to do? There has to be someone in last place too.” probably say those who are paid to deal with road safety in our country!
For good information, in the United States of America there are 140 deaths/million inhabitants.
2. Starting from 2021, in Romania, the medical criteria have changed by which the injured resulting from a road accident fall into: seriously injured or slightly injured.
A correct thing, because we aligned ourselves with the European criteria, but in recent years, from the highest level of the state, the message “Serious accidents have decreased by 40%” began to spread!
YES, they decreased… only “from PIX”!
Because, between 2004 and 2019, we had, on average, about 8,000 serious accidents per year.
In 2020, their number naturally decreased, because we traveled less (the COVID pandemic).
And in 2021, according to the new reporting criteria, the number of serious accidents dropped SUDDENLY, to about 4000 per year.
I agree with the alignment with the European criteria, but this should not mean a total lack of action by the authorities, on the grounds that… “Serious accidents have decreased by 40%”
3. The ranking of the truth The correct and realistic analysis should be done by relating the number of dead, seriously injured and slightly injured respectively to the number of kilometers traveled.
According to this criterion, the European situation is as follows: the Nordic countries have 22-25 deaths per 10 billion kilometers traveled, the European average is 70 deaths, the penultimate country, Bulgaria, has 180 deaths, and Romania has over 300 deaths per 10 billion kilometers traveled.
At the same time, in the United States of America there are 30-35 deaths per 10 billion kilometers traveled, a value comparable to the Nordic countries and far below the European average.
This is because an American drives 4-5 times more kilometers than a Western European, and a Western European drives 2-3 times more than a Romanian.
According to the globally accepted criterion, reporting per million inhabitants, in the United States of America, compared to Romania, it is much more dangerous to drive on public roads, but if we use the correct analysis criterion, i.e. reporting on the number of kilometers traveled, The USA is comparable to the Nordic countries in terms of road safety. Very safe!
Our authorities prefer to hide behind criteria that, although statistically correct, give a false picture of the traffic reality.
4. The traffic accident is mainly influenced by three factors: Man, Road or Car (human factor, infrastructure and road conditions, vehicle).
a. THE ROAD After 1990, work is being done, albeit very hard, to improve the “ROAD” factor. Over 1000 kilometers of highway were built, many roads were modernized, and now they are much better than in the 90s. We still have a lot to do, but the truth is, THE ROAD IS BETTER!
b. THE CAR In the last 30 years, the car has recorded the most spectacular and effective evolution in terms of safety, both active (ABS, ESP, CT, sensors, etc.), but also passive (the body is much friendlier in the event of an accident , the evolution of the seat belt, the appearance of airbags, etc.). So THE CAR IS MUCH BETTER!
c. INTERVENTION IN THE CASE OF ROAD ACCIDENTS The quality of “emergency intervention” has greatly increased. Now after an accident, a real mobile hospital with paramedics, extrication specialists, helicopters, etc. intervenes. So INTERVENTION IS MUCH BETTER!
d. MAN The preparation of the traffic participant: pedestrian, cyclist, scooter rider, motorcyclist, amateur or professional driver, passenger is weaker than in the 80s.
Why? Because in general school, children are no longer trained to move safely on the street (I'm not referring here to the projects done punctually by the Traffic Police or various NGOs).
Through the national education system, every child should have road education, as is done in all Western European countries.
DRIVING SCHOOL
The quality of training has decreased, because before 1990, in order to obtain a driver's license, the following had to be done:
- Psychological examination with testing of reflexes and skills with: turning wheel, hand/foot coordination test simulator, etc. – IT CAN'T BE DONE ANYMORE!
- Polygon and test in the polygon – NO MORE!
- Driving and testing at night – NO MORE!
- Attendance at theory classes at driving schools is on average 50% lower than it was in the 80s.
WE ARE UNDER THE 80'S ACROSS THE LINE!
More than that!
The technical and social evolution should force the introduction of at least two new chapters at the driving school, namely:
- The technical systems of the car: active, passive systems and other developments, etc.;
- Primary/minimum defensive driving rules: safety circle, zipper rule, two second rule, etc
AFTER DRIVING SCHOOL After obtaining the driver's license, in Romania, with the exception of the professional certificate, for most drivers there is no further training.
This means that MAN IS LESS PREPARED!
CONCLUSION
We are in a permanent war! In Romania, 4-5 people die, and according to the new medical criteria, we have 10 seriously injured and 70-80 slightly injured in road accidents.
DAILY!
Annually, Romania loses 3.3 billion euros in social costs from the state budget (according to the Road Safety Country Overview, issued by the European Road Safety Observatory, a structure within the European Commission), as a result of road accidents and another 1.5 billion euros through the system of insurance (also from us), because we pay the most expensive insurances in Europe (we break a lot – we pay a lot).
AND WE DO NOTHING!
URGENT action must be taken!
Through a real plan, especially in the area of road education, but not only, to stop THE WAR OF THE ROMANIANS AGAINST THE ROMANIANSwhich takes place on the roads of the homeland.
There are solutions, but the authorities are non-existent from this point of view.
QIn recent years I have been requested on several occasions or have provoked discussions with the authorities to come up with proposals/solutions on this subject, I have presented several projects, but unfortunately NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE!
Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, if you do not initiate URGENTLY such a plan will flow for a long time BLOOD ON ROADS IN ROMANIA and I feel obliged to draw your attention, that there are solutions for the reduction THE REAL of road accidents, but it is necessary POLITICAL WILL!
With respect, Titi Aur”the open letter states.
