Project EDWARD 2017 Results
The results of TISPOL’s Project EDWARD 2017 are now available, and the UK was one of 15 countries that reported zero fatalities. Unfortunately, however, there 43 deaths on the day across 31 countries in Europe, with Poland recording 10 and Romania and Greece 6 fatalities each.
Social Media activity was key to the day, and #Project EDWARD trended number 1 in Ireland, number 4 in the UK and number 5 in Germany, Spain and other countries during the day. Total unique reach, between Tuesday 19 and Thursday 21 September was 25 million, and there were 8,813 posts over the 48 hour period.
As well as raising awareness of road safety issues, a key aim of Project EDWARD was to draw attention to the value of national and Europe-wide road safety targets:
TISPOL General Secretary Ruth Purdie commented:
"We are very grateful to everyone who signed the pledge, recorded a video, organised an event and assisted with spreading the Project EDWARD message.
It’s time to take a look at how we can continue to innovate for Project EDWARD in 2018 and beyond, so we’re ready to talk to any organisations interested in working with us as we strive to make zero fatalities a reality on our roads."
EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc commented:
"Project EDWARD sets an extremely ambitious target: to achieve a day without a single death on Europe’s roads. In this second edition of the European Day Without a Road Death, we recorded again a significant improvement compared with 2015. This shows that awareness and education, together with effective enforcement of traffic rules, make our roads a much safer place. When all stakeholders come together we can really make an impact and save lives. Let's continue in this mind."