Citation

Krystek R. Proc. Road Saf. Four Continents Conf. 2005; 13: 7p.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Conference Sponsor)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The 13th International Conference Road Safety on Four Continents is undoubtedly an event of great importance. The author is proud that Poland through its work for improvement of road safety deserved to be named the host of such a distinguished conference, which brought together so many experts from all over the world. The conference is a great opportunity to learn from many countries leading in the area of road safety and to apply their knowledge in practice. It is also an opportunity to familiarize oneself with the problems of other countries, which just like us were a dozen or so years ago, are now in the initial phase of improving the safety on their roads. Usually, the following three most important factors are mentioned among many factors determining the success of actions for life and health protection in road traffic: (1) political will; (2) knowledge; and (3) financial resources. The fact that Mister Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the President of the Republic of Poland, took the conference under his honorable patronage, distinctly demonstrates that Polish authorities are determined to fight for the improvement of safety on our roads. Alike the decision of the Council of Ministers, which in April of this year approved the National Road Safety Program GAMBIT 2005 as the program for Poland for the years 2005-2013, this fact demonstrates the increase of the political will to solve the problem. And this is a problem of utmost importance; every year as a result of road accidents our society losses almost PLN 30 billion, there are 5.5 thousand casualties and ten times as many injuries, out of which approximately 20% remain disabled for the rest of their lives.