2. Our Traffic Safety Mission
Our Traffic Safety Mission:
The creation of effective communication mechanisms will be accomplished in compliance with the traffic safety objectives of roles, responsibilities, and authorities based on cooperation and coordination, and the aims, objectives, and vision put forth, determined in this Strategy Paper and Action Plans, and by putting into practice as part of the Safe System Approach.
Maintaining the effective, consistent, and intensive efforts shown in the previous period by the Coordination Board Member Ministries, Institutions, and Organizations established with the Notice No. 2012/16 and functioning within the scope of the 2011-2020 Road Traffic Safety Strategy and Action Plan is of crucial importance to attain success.
To realize the ultimate objectives of 2030 and 2050 by way of the continuation of 2011-2020 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper with the decision made in the 5th meeting held with the participation of a total of 53 representatives from 23 member institutions of Road Traffic Safety Strategy Coordination Board on 3 March 2020, the “2021- 2030 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper and 2021-2023” Road Traffic Safety Action Plan was decided to be prepared using the sub-working groups consisting of the representatives of institutions and organizations being a member of Coordination Board, and following the completion of necessary processes, to be put into practice as of 2021.
In this sense, all stakeholder Ministries, Institutions, and Organizations responsible must fulfil these responsibilities without delay in line with the principle that “The road safety improvement responsibility should be shared amongst all stakeholders, and the responsibility to improve road safety shouldn’t be up to only one institution.” being amongst fundamental principles of Safe System Approach for achieving the aims and objectives.
The principles of the new traffic safety approach were presented in the “World Report on the Prevention of Injuries Due To Traffic Accidents” 40 published by the World Health Organization in 2004 and being valid at present are as follows:
- Traffic accidents have a human-made, measurable structure and countermeasures can be developed, and have a considerably preventable and predictable characteristic.
- Traffic safety is a public health problem and the solution of the problem is possible with a multisector approach, and full determination in responsibility, activity, and advocacy.
- Traffic systems should meet the demands of users implicitly, and general driver errors and pedestrian mistakes shouldn’t result in deaths and serious injuries.
- The fragility of the human body should be a limiter in the design of traffic systems, and at the centre of speed management.
- Injuries resulting from traffic accidents are a matter of social equality, and as the non-motorized vehicle drivers have more risk and potential to get injured because of traffic accidents, they should also be protected equally.
- Efforts should focus on the suitability of local conditions and meet the local needs in technology transfers from high-income countries to low-income countries.
- The solution of local needs should be ensured with local solutions.
In line with the principle that “The road safety improvement responsibility should be shared amongst all stakeholders, and the responsibility to improve road safety shouldn’t be up to only one institution.” being amongst fundamental principles of Safe System Approach, it is of great importance that all Ministries, Institutions, and Organizations having responsibility in the;
- Engineering (Infrastructure, Road, Environment, and Vehicles),
- Education (Formal, Non-Formal, and Campaigns),
- Control (Police Control along with the controls in all elements of Engineering, Education, and Post-Accident Aid)
- Post-Accident Intervention (Care, Treatment, and Rehabilitation)
elements fulfil their responsibilities without delay under the basic 4 Esrule in traffic safety.
The desperate situation coming in view in cases where the road traffic safety cannot be fully ensured involves all loss of lives, injuries, economic and social costs, and direct and indirect effects as a result of traffic accidents. In this context, within the Global Highway Safety Ministerial Conference Meetings with high-level participation, organized by the United Nations and World Health Organization:
It was decided to reduce the loss of lives resulting from road traffic accidents by 50% in the decennial period between 2011-2020 with the decision made in the 1st Global Road Traffic Safety Ministerial Conference held in Moscow in 2015, and to evaluate the general efforts of countries in the period between 2010-2015 and revise the objective determined as 2020 as 2030 with the decision made in the 2nd Global Road Traffic Safety Ministerial Conference held in Brazil in 2015.
Reducing the loss of lives resulting from traffic accidents by 50% by 2030, and the countries to determine their own strategies with the “ZERO ACCIDENT” objective by 2050 was recommended in the 3rd Global Road Traffic Safety Ministerial Conference organized in Stockholm on 19-20 February 2020.
In the 3rd Road Traffic Safety High Commission congregated in the Prime Ministerial period of our Estimable President, the long-term objectives of the institutions whose responsibilities were determined in the Road Traffic Law No. 2918 on traffic safety in Turkey between 2011-2020. As such, the “Road Traffic Safety Strategy Coordination Board” was formed for the tasks to be performed under the responsibility of institutions to be executed more effectively.
It was organized with the participation of a total of 53 representatives from 23 member institutions on 13 March 2013, 22 July 2014, 15 July 2016, 14 March 2019, and lastly 3 March 2020 as of 2012.
In this meeting, the decision was made on the preparation of the “2021-2030 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper and 2021-2023 Road Traffic Safety Action Plan using the sub-working groups consisting of representatives from the institutions and organizations being members of Coordination Board, the discussion of it in the Coordination Board meeting determined to be reaggregated within 2020, and its publication following the regulatory approval within the frame of the decisions made in the 2015 and 2020 United Nations meetings partaking of follow-up of the 2011-2020 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper and Action Plan.
Referring to this decision, the “2021-2030 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper and 2021-2023 Road Traffic Safety Action Plan” coordination meeting was organized under the coordination of TNP Traffic Presidency on 11.03.2020.
Ministries, Institutions, and Organizations stakeholders of Road Traffic Safety being the members of the Road Traffic Safety Coordination Board are:
- Presidency’s Communication Center,
- Presidency of Strategy and Budget,
- Ministry of Justice,
- Ministry of Family, Labour, and Social Services,
- Ministry of Environment and Urbanization,
- Ministry of Treasury and Finance,
- Ministry of Interior,
- Ministry of National Education,
- Ministry of Health,
- Ministry of Industry and Technology,
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,
- Ministry of Commerce,
- Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure,
- Directorate General of Provincial Administration,
- Turkish National Police
- General Command of Gendarmerie,
- Directorate General of Highways,
- Radio and Television High Council,
- Directorate General of Turkish Red Crescent,
- Turkish Standards Institute,
- Directorate General of Turkish Radio and Television Corporation,
- Directorate General of Transport Services Arrangement,
- Directorate General of Local Authorities.
As part of the preparation of the Strategy Paper and Action Plan, a coordinated effort was made by receiving the contributions and opinions of more than one unit, and maximum contribution was received from all institutions and organizations. The efforts on the preparation of the 2021-2030 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper was made without delay even in the pandemic process, which took hold of the entire world and was managed in an exemplary way for the entire world as a result of the cooperation of the Turkish government and nation, and the diligent efforts of all ministries, institutions, and organizations, and especially the law enforcement officers and the health care authorities. Within this scope;
- Coordinated efforts were maintained with the liaison staff and working group participants ascertained from stakeholder ministries, institutions, and organizations, and the contributions and motivations for the process were ensured with the organization of a large number of online discussions and meetings.
- Necessary actions were taken on the decisions partaking of strategic importance amongst others taken as 40 articles in the 5th Coordination Board meeting held on 03.03.2020.
In the management of the process, the core team organized in the Turkish National Police Traffic Presidency has concurrently;
- studied publications such as report recommendations and directives on the traffic safety of many international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Organization for
- Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as well as the United Nations and European organizations,
- reviewed the overseas examples and foreign countries’ strategy papers with relatively being at the tops in terms of the loss of life per 100.000 people and settled-sustainable practices,
- confirmed by reviewing publications and academic studies in many languages,
- scanned and reviewed the academic studies carried out in universities and institutions in the field of traffic safety,
- reviewed the commission reports (28) prepared by Specialization Commissions launched during the preparation process of the 11th Development Plan as well as the Strategic Papers (25), which was prepared by the Coordination Board member Ministries, institutions, organizations and is still in force, and where in general the 2023 objectives are set forth,
- held meetings with the sub-working groups consisting of the Coordination Board member ministries, institutions, and organizations and ensure the reflection of their information, opinions, and recommendation,
- reviewed the master plans prepared in different sectors on traffic safety and utilized in the relevant parts of the Strategy Paper,
- made an observation based upon the efforts shown, accumulation of knowledge, and experience as part of the 2011-2020 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper and Action Plan, and the Traffic Safety Implementation Policy Paper of 2017,
- evaluated the opinions, suggestions, and ideas brought forward in the meetings held with the chiefs of traffic units in 7 geographical areas of Turkey in the last quarter of 2019, and the beginning of 2020, the Şehit Fethi SEKİN meetings on 05-06.02.2020, and the 2nd Stage Chiefs of Traffic Units Information Sharing and Evaluation Meetings on 10-11.09.2020,
- evaluated the feedback information with the experiences gained within the training, information, awareness-raising efforts, and campaigns conducted in the recent period.
- evaluated the opinions, suggestions, and complaints from Turkish citizens such as the Presidency’s Communication Centre and other information methods, and especially the Volunteer Traffic Inspectors and non-governmental organizations,
- Included the information and opinions submitted by agencies, especially the Interior and Security Counsellors
- included all accomplishments gained such as the research studies, institutional visits and institutional analysis discussions, trainings, seminars, working group meetings, training and civil society workshops, vision visit, and the reports prepared along with it within the “Highway Safety-100% Safety in Traffic Project”, whose beneficiary is the Turkish National Police as part of the National Programme of Turkey 2013- Pre-Accession Financial Aid Tool, in the Strategy Paper, and evaluated the stakeholder analyses and working group meetings organized within this project as survey conference and assessed the outcomes,
- sent the final texts and objective cards prepared to relevant stakeholder institutions, and conducted assessments within the frame of institutional discussions,
- and presented the Strategy Paper and Action Plan to the Coordination Board agenda, following which the Committee made an examination and evaluation on it, and finalized the Strategy Paper and Action Plan.
Thus, it is capital importance to carry out intensive works towards the 2030 and 2050 objectives in coordination by all stakeholder ministries, institutions, and organizations, by discussing the direct and indirect results of traffic accidents resulting from traffic safety violations through actions aimed at traffic safety.
5.According to the calendar agreed in the Coordination Board meeting, and in terms of ensuring traffic safety as part of the “Safe System Approach”, actions for all stakeholder institutions to put into practice the Strategy Paper and Action Plan and the monitoring of its outcomes will be taken as of 2021.