Zavarovalnica Triglav dd : Clamping down on speeding drivers with a speed indicator

According to figures from the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency, if we manage to reduce average speeds in built-up areas by 1 km/h, we help reduce accidents by 4% in those areas and by 2% outside those areas.As even small reductions in speed are key to preventing serious road accidents, traffic calming in residential areas, where pedestrians are most at risk, is one of the main elements of a preventive approach and an effective measure for reducing the number of road accidents.

The Calming Traffic Together project was proposed by Sipronika and is supported by Zavarovalnica Triglav and municipalities around Slovenia, among them the Municipality of Sevnica. A key aim of the project is to reduce the proportion of speeding drivers at selected dangerous sections of road, where pedestrians, especially the very youngest, are most at risk.In the 18 municipalities in which the speed indicators were installed last season, speeds at selected sections have fallen by an average of 2 km/h, with the proportion of speeding drivers also falling by around 4%.

Dangerous section of road

The Municipality of Sevnica has installed an MHP50 'Your Speed' sign along the state road at the entrance to the village of Krmelj, a busy school route. This section, which has seen average speeds rise considerably since the road was renovated and the speed limit increased from 30 to 50 km/h, is most often used by the youngest and most vulnerable road users: children. Extra caution is therefore required from drivers on this section.

'The speed indicator is located at the beginning (or indeed end) of the village, on a section in which speeds are generally higher.The sign encourages all drivers to behave more responsibly, reminding them that the most vulnerable category of road users, schoolchildren and pre-schoolers, use this route daily as pedestrians in order to reach the nearby gym in the other school building,' explained Srečko Ocvirk, mayor of Sevnica. The solution is not only important for drivers, but for schoolchildren and other pedestrians as well - who are able to read a display of driving statistics on screens in the school hall or on the municipality's website. As the headmistress of Krmelj primary school, Gusta Mirt, points out: 'The sign reminds us of the behaviour and values we should be adhering to, and encourages us to conduct ourselves responsibly.'

Innovative and effective solution

Speed indicators store and process data on traffic that can be viewed on the www.vi-vozite.si website. The system therefore constitutes an innovative and effective solution and an important tool for analysing data and determining future speed-reduction measures. 'The positive effect of the 'YOUR SPEED' signs seen in those municipalities in which they are already operational has likewise been replicated in Krmelj, in the Municipality of Sevnica, very quickly after installation -If the proportion of speeding drivers is to be brought down still further, one has to keep on top of the data on the 'Your Speed' website and opt for further measures if required,' explained Sipronika's managing director Marjan Kržišnik.

Investment in a safer future

For several years now, Zavarovalnica Triglav have been involved in a variety of activities designed to improve road safety. Slovenia's largest insurance company have supported the installation of a speed indicator in Sevnica as part of their desire and objective to create a safer future. 'We know from the previous season of the 'Calming Traffic Together' project that speed indicators are an effective way of calming traffic. As part of our efforts to reduce the number of speeding drivers, we have supported the installation of a speed display in Krmelj, thereby ensuring, in collaboration with the municipality and Sipronika, that pupils at the local primary school and other road users are all safer,' explained Viktor Richter, director of the Krško Regional Office of Zavarovalnica Triglav.

These joint efforts to improve road safety have also been supported by one local sporting hero - none other than Olympic and world champion hammer thrower Primož Kozmus. 'Children are our future and are our greatest treasure,' he said on the occasion of the opening of the speed display. 'How we behave on the roads is therefore that much more important. Just as we sportsmen and women are focused on our goal and train hard to achieve it, so must drivers join forces to achieve a common objective: to help make school and other routes safer and more pleasant for the most vulnerable road users in the new school year.'

In collaboration with Sipronika and Zavarovalnica Triglav, municipalities around the country have already installed 'Your Speed' displays at 27 dangerous sections of road. By the end of this year, they will have further increased the safety of all road users in 30 municipalities throughout the country.

Graph: Comparison of the distribution of measured speeds when the speed display was switched off (17-24 August 2017) and switched on (24-31 August 2017)

The speed limit on this section is 50 km/h.