About PSN

Every year, more than 40.000 people are killed in the 15 Member States as a result of road accidents. Another 1.5 million are injured, often being severely crippled. The fact that so many of our citizens die violently or suffer horrible injuries while simply going about their daily business, should, at the very least, create cause for concern. Now, the European Vehicle Passive Safety Network is taking up the challenge.

For many, the high number of road fatalities is the most severe problem facing Europe today, the greatest threat to public safety, and one of the most dire catastrophes in history. In any other context, the loss of so many lives would constitute a major disaster, demanding immediate and drastic action. But getting the safety message across, largely a problem of communication is not as easy as it sounds. The PSN has been established to promote passive safety research and, equally importantly, to help in the dissemination of information and results, all with a view to reducing the number of casualties on European roads.

According to PSN co-ordinator Prof. Jac Wismans of TNO Automotive in the Netherlands, "We are talking about a very large social problem. The number of people being killed is simply too high. We can look at a variety of strategies for changing that - better roads, better brakes and the like - these measures are aimed at stopping accidents from happening in the first place, but if we assume that accidents will still happen, then we have to look at strategies for minimising the damage. This is where the PSN comes in."