Roads under scrutiny: How safe do Czech citizens feel compared to other countries?

The Center for Transport Research has published the results of the third wave of the international ESRA (E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes) project, which focuses primarily on the attitudes of road users and their subjective perception of safety, risks, and the acceptability of risky behavior in traffic. This includes the subjective perception of the safety of roads. The survey, conducted in 2023, assessed various types of roads and provides valuable information about the perception of safety among Czech drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists.

Road safety is a key issue that affects our daily lives. With increasing traffic, there is a greater emphasis on safe roads. The BESIP 2021–2030 strategy addresses various aspects of safety, including the development of accident rates for different types of roads. However, it is important to know not only objective data on accident rates, but also how drivers themselves perceive safety. The international ESRA survey provides valuable information about how Czechs rate the safety of different types of roads and how our perceptions differ from those in other European countries. The subjective perception of road safety by all road users is an important factor in determining safe behavior.

A total of 965 respondents participated in the ESRA3 survey in the Czech Republic. Participants were asked which modes of transport they use and how often. The results show that most of them travel as pedestrians or passengers in vehicles at least occasionally, 66.5% as drivers, 62.6% as cyclists, and 16.6% as motorcyclists. Respondents who indicated that they actually use a particular type of road were the only ones who rated the safety of that type of road.

Czech drivers rate road safety lower than the European average.

Only 58.6% of Czech road users (drivers) perceive highways in the Czech Republic as safe, compared to the European average of 66.1%. 38.6% of respondents from the Czech Republic consider roads outside of urban areas to be safe, while the European average is 50.8%. The largest difference is for local roads, which only 34.3% of Czech drivers consider safe, compared to 51.4% in Europe.

Subjective assessment of infrastructure in the Czech Republic reflects regional differences.

The assessment of road safety also varies significantly between different regions. For example, drivers most often rated roads outside of urban areas as safe in the Zlín Region (48.1%), but only 22.3% in the Karlovy Vary Region. Similarly, local roads were rated best in the Hradec Králové Region (50.0%) and worst in the Central Bohemian Region (25.1%).

Vulnerable road users.

Cyclists and pedestrians have a perception of safety that is closer to the European average. Cyclists rate local roads with bike lanes as safest (65.5% consider them safe), while only 21.7% of respondents consider roads outside of urban areas without bike lanes to be safe. Pedestrians feel safest on roads with sidewalks, which 76.1% of Czech respondents consider safe, which is above the European average of 71.9%.

"The analysis of the results showed that, compared to the European average, Czech drivers perceive all types of roads as less safe. While the assessments from pedestrians and cyclists are in line with the European average, we do not reach the levels achieved by more developed countries. Significant differences are also apparent between the individual regions within the Czech Republic. The results of the international comparison clearly show that road users perceive roads as safe in countries that consistently have a lower rate of serious traffic accidents and have a modern approach to road design," says **Pavlína Skládaná** from the Center for Transport Research. The results for individual regions suggest where more attention needs to be paid to the condition of roads. The systematic application of the principle of self-explanatory and forgiving road design, traffic calming measures in cities and towns, and ongoing education focused on safe behavior and the use of passive safety features can help achieve the goals of the BESIP 2021-2030 strategy.

Suggestions for improvement: Modernization and education

"Despite the partial improvements in road safety, this area requires continuous effort. In addition to designing roads for safety, it is essential to pay constant attention to education, which aims to influence the behavior of road users not only in terms of prevention, but also in mitigating the consequences of any accidents," says **Kateřina Bucsuházy** from the In-depth Traffic Accident Analysis department, which is a unique research activity of the Center for Transport Research.

"When focusing on vulnerable road users, we often see a lack of helmets among cyclists, which can save lives in many cases. In relation to cyclists, it is also necessary to mention the increasing number of electric bicycles, which, unfortunately, is increasingly contributing not only to the accident rate but also to its consequences – often the most serious ones. Cyclists are also a category of road users that consistently shows a high proportion of those involved in accidents who are under the influence of alcohol, both on regular bicycles and on electric bicycles, as well as electric scooters. For pedestrians, the use of reflective elements can often prevent serious accidents. Even these seemingly trivial things can prevent serious or even fatal injuries as a result of traffic accidents, which can positively impact whether the goal that the Czech Republic has committed to in the BESIP 2021-2030 strategy will be achieved or not," concludes **Lukáš Kadula** from the Center for Transport Research.

CDV / gnews - RoZ