Road Safety Annual Report 2016 OECD/ITF 2016 Chapter 15 Hungary This chapter presents detailed 2014 road safety data for Hungary along with an overview of results from 2015. It looks at Hungary s road safety history and reviews trends in traffic and road safety from the years 1990 to 2014 along with road user behaviour patterns. This includes data on speed, drink driving, drugs and driving, distracted driving, fatigue and seat belt usage. The chapter reviews Hungary s road safety strategy and national targets to 2020 and the progress achieved thus far. It also highlights the most recently implemented safety measures.* * All data stem from the Institute for Transport Sciences (KTI) and IRTAD unless otherwise noted. For more information please contact: Prof. Dr Péter Holló, hollo.peter@kti.hu 215
Hungary, with its population of 9.8 million, benefited from a seven-year period of decreasing road deaths from 2007 to 2013. This downward trend appears to have seen a reversal over the last two years with a total of 626 fatalities in 2014, an increase of 6%, followed by an additional increase of 3.4% in 2015 with 647 fatalities. This equals a rate of 6.5 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2015. This could partly be attributed to economic recovery as both vehicles registered and kilometres travelled increased during this period. Road safety data collection Definitions applied in Hungary Road fatality: Person who dies within 30 days as a result of a traffic crash. Seriously injured person: Any person who, due to the crash, sustained an injury which meets one of the following criteria: necessitates hospitalisation for more than 48 hours within seven days of the accident; caused a fracture (except for finger, toe, nose fractures); caused cuts that resulted in serious bleeding or nerve, muscle or tendon injuries; caused injury of inner organs; caused a burn of second or third degree or a burn affecting more than 5% of body surface. Data collection Data on personal injury crashes are collected by the police and form the basis of the official Hungarian road crash statistics. In Hungary, the provision of road traffic crash data is governed by the government decree on the National Statistical Data Collection Programme, in line with the Act on Statistics. It takes into account Council Decision 93/704/ EC, which stipulates that the member states provide their safety data to the European Commission for the elaboration of a European community database ( CARE ). The Hungarian national data collection system has been adjusted to be compatible with the Common Accident Data Set (CADaS) structure. Variables are divided into four categories: Accident, Road, Traffic Unit, and Person. The European Commission and the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) have recommended that Hungary collect data on serious injuries based on the Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale of 3 or more (MAIS3+). Experts are working on options to translate codes of the International Classification of Diseases, which are used in hospitals to define the nature and severity of injuries, into codes on the Abbreviated Injury Scale. In the short run, translation seems to be the main realistic option to collect MAIS3+ data. It is now planned that the severity of a crash will be determined by health care staff and not by the police. However, this requires some adjustments in the legislation. 216
The quality and completeness of police reported data is good for fatal crashes and casualties. However, based on previous research, it is estimated that only 85% of those seriously injured (based on the national definition) and 60% of those slightly injured are reported in police records. Most recent safety data Road crashes in 2015 final data In 2015, there were 647 road fatalities, a 3.4% increase when compared to 2014. This is the second consecutive year with an increase in the number of fatalities, after a seven-year period of continuous decrease. Recovery of the economy could explain this increase. Road crashes in 2014 After a seven-year period of improvement (2007-13) the number of fatalities in 2014 increased by almost 6% compared to 2013, with 626 persons killed. The biggest increase was observed among vulnerable road users cyclists and pedestrians. Trends in traffic and road safety (1990-2014) Traffic The annual distance travelled (vehicle-kilometres) on the state road network decreased by 10% between 2008 and 2012. The decrease concerned both light and heavy vehicles. In 2013 the number of vehicle-kilometres was practically the same as in 2012, but in 2014 traffic volume increased by 4.2% over 2013, probably as a result of the economic recovery. Road safety Crashes and casualties According to Prof. Dr Péter Holló, the history of Hungarian road safety can be divided into the following periods: 1976-86: Relatively stable period. The 30-day definition for road accident fatalities was introduced in 1976. 1987-90: Strong deterioration, similar to all countries where the political, social and economic systems changed following the collapse of the Soviet bloc. This political change was accompanied by negative side effects for road safety, due to weak police control, less political attention to road safety, a false interpretation of freedom, explosion in the size and changes in the structure of the vehicle fleet, etc. The worst year for Hungarian road safety was in 1990, with nearly 2 500 people killed. 1991-2000: Important improvements and major initiatives: 1993: Adoption of the first Hungarian National Road Safety Programme with a quantitative target. Road safety measures were implemented such as lower speed limits in built-up areas, mandatory daytime running lights and rear seat safety belt use outside built-up areas, intensified police control and road safety campaigns, more severe sanctions, etc. 2000 was the most successful year until 2008, with a reduction of more than 50% in the number of people killed (1 200) compared to 1990. Some demographic and economic factors contributed to the positive trend: a decrease in the number of novice drivers and an increase in vehicle operating costs. 217
2001-06: Deterioration, mainly outside built-up areas. In 2001, the speed limits outside built-up areas were raised. The level of police enforcement was insufficient, as was the organisation and funding of road safety activities. 2007-13: After several years of increasing road fatalities, the 2007 performance was back to that of 2000. In 2008, there was a remarkable decrease in fatalities less than 1 000. In 2013 the number of road fatalities was as low as that of 50 years earlier. The improvement in the passive safety of vehicles is considered to be an important factor contributing to these positive results. In 2014 and 2015, the number of fatalities increased. Rates In 2014, Hungary recorded 6.3 fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants, a rate almost four times lower than the maximum in the 1990s. However this rate has increased compared to 2013 by more than 6%. Based on the population data of 1 January 2015, the rate was 6.5 in 2015. Fatalities per 10 000 registered motor vehicles (excluding mopeds) were divided by almost seven between 1990 and 2014 and by a factor of 2.5 since 2000. The rate was 1.61 fatalities in 2013 which increased slightly to 1.66 in 2014 and 2015. Table 15.1. Road safety and traffic data 1990 2000 2010 2013 2014 2014 % change from 2013 2010 2000 1990 Reported safety data Fatalities 2 432 1 200 740 591 626 5.9-15.4-47.8-74.3 Injury crashes 27 801 17 493 16 308 15 691 15 847 1.0-2.8-9.4-43.0 Deaths per 100 000 inhabitants 23.4 11.7 7.4 6.0 6.3 6.3-14.2-46.0-73.0 Deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles 11.2 4.4 2.0 1.6 1.7 1.5-18.5-62.6-85.3 Traffic data Registered vehicles 1 (thousands) 2 163 2 706 3 640 3 622 3 778 4.3 3.8 39.6 74.7 Registered vehicles 1 per 1 000 inhabitants 208 265 363 366 382 4.6 5.2 44.5 83.5 1. Registered vehicles excluding mopeds. 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933385466 Road safety by user group All user groups have benefited from important safety improvements since 1990, with the largest benefits for vulnerable road users: pedestrians (-81%), cyclists (-69%) and moped users (-82%) In 2014, safety deteriorated for almost all road user groups, with the exception of powered two-wheeler riders. The situation in particular worsened for cyclists, with a 44% increase in the number of fatalities. This sharp increase might be related to a change in legislation, whereby it is no longer a traffic violation to ride a bicycle under the influence of alcohol. Road safety by age group Since 1990, the reduction in fatalities has benefited all age groups. In 2014, there was an improvement among the 15-17 and 21-24 age groups, against a background of overall increase in fatalities by 5.9%. A marked deterioration was observed for the 18-20 age group, for which the number of fatalities more than doubled from 11 in 2013 to 24 in 2014. 218
Figure 15.1. Road safety, traffic and GDP trends index 1990 = 100 Fatalities Injury crashes Motor vehicles GDP 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Note: Registered motor vehicles excluding mopeds. Source: World Bank for Gross Domestic Product (GDP; constant prices). Table 15.2. Road fatalities by road user group 1990 2000 2010 2013 2014 2014 % change from 2013 2010 2000 1990 Cyclists 313 182 92 68 98 44.1 6.5-46.2-68.7 Moped users 95 33 19 24 17-29.2-10.5-48.5-82.1 Motorcyclists 143 52 49 58 58 0.0 18.4 11.5-59.4 Passenger car occupants 974 500 330 254 256 0.8-22.4-48.8-73.7 Pedestrians 803 346 192 147 152 3.4-20.8-56.1-81.1 Others 104 87 58 40 45 12.5-22.4-48.3-56.7 Total 2 432 1 200 740 591 626 5.9-15.4-47.8-74.3 Figure 15.2. Road fatalities by road user group in percentage of total 2014 Others incl. unknown 7% Cyclists 16% Moped riders 3% Pedestrians 24% Motorcyclists 9% Passenger car occupants 41% 219
The 65 and over age group has the highest fatality rate, with 9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. Table 15.3. Road fatalities by age group Age 1990 2000 2010 2013 2014 2014 % change from 2013 2010 2000 1990 0-5 28 17 6 1 3 200.0-50.0-82.4-89.3 6-9 39 9 3 3 3 0.0 0.0-66.7-92.3 10-14 40 18 11 3 7 133.3-36.4-61.1-82.5 15-17 99 18 10 14 7-50.0-30.0-61.1-92.9 18-20 162 64 33 11 24 118.2-27.3-62.5-85.2 21-24 191 114 40 39 35-10.3-12.5-69.3-81.7 25-64 1 365 736 488 383 392 2.3-19.7-46.7-71.3 65 498 203 137 135 155 14.8 13.1-23.6-68.9 Total 2 432 1 200 740 591 626 5.9-15.4-47.8-74.3 Figure 15.3. Road fatality rates by age group Deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in a given age group, 1990-2014 0-14 years 15-17 years 18-20 years 21-24 years 25-64 years 65+ years 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Road safety by road type In 2014, 58% of road fatalities occurred on rural roads, 38% in urban areas and 4% on motorways. In 2014, the situation deteriorated on the whole road network except motorways, where fatalities were reduced by 10% when compared to 2013. Since 1990, road safety improvements have benefited all roads, with most progress seen on roads in urban areas. Economic costs of traffic crashes Traffic crashes represent a significant cost for society, estimated in 2013 at around EUR 1.88 billion. This estimation is calculated using both a willingness to pay and a human capital approach (Hollo, 2013), based on a methodology by McMahon and Dahdah (2008). 220
Figure 15.4. Road fatalities by road type Rural roads Inside urban areas Motorways Number of fatalities 700 654 600 500 497 424 400 300 271 326 362 232 237 200 100 49 44 30 27 0 2000 2010 2013 2014 Recent trends in road user behaviour Speed According to on-site police investigations, speeding is a contributing factor in about 40% of fatal crashes. Automatic speed cameras are being introduced. The table below summarises the main speed limits in Hungary. Table 15.5. Passenger car speed limits by road type, 2016 General speed limit Urban roads Rural roads Motorways 50 km/h 90 km/h 130 km/h 110 km/h on motor roads Drink driving In Hungary, drivers are forbidden to drive under the influence of alcohol. The theoretical maximum blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.0 g/l. In practice, drivers are convicted only if their BAC is above 0.2 g/l. However, the law was softened in July 2011 and the driving licence can be withdrawn on the spot only when the driver is seriously under the influence of alcohol. In Hungary, the person responsible for a road crash is tested for blood alcohol concentration. Crash opponents who are not at fault are usually not tested. A crash is recorded as alcohol related when the person responsible for the crash is under the influence of alcohol. In 2014, 10% of all injury crashes were caused by a driver under the influence of alcohol. Drugs and driving Driving under the influence of drugs is defined in the Act of Criminal Code and is listed among the potential crash contributing factors in accident forms. Unlike alcohol, there is no per se limit regarding drug consumption. 221
Saliva tests are not yet in use in Hungary, which makes drug driving enforcement very difficult. Drivers may be tested (from blood or urine samples) when they are suspected of impairment and when the alcohol test is negative. This happens very rarely and no random testing is being carried out, partly due to the costs of toxicology tests. Therefore, statistics on drug driving fatalities are not representative of the reality. In 2015, driving under the influence of drugs was reported as a contributing factor in five cases. Distraction Hungary recognises distracted driving in fatal and injury crashes. Mobile phone use or texting while driving are not identified specifically in the category of distracted behaviour. The use of hand-held mobile phones while driving is not authorised. The penalty for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving is HUF 10 000 in urban areas, HUF 15 000 outside urban areas and HUF 20 000 on motorways. According to a roadside survey undertaken in 2015, more than 5% of drivers are regularly using a hand-held mobile phone while driving. Sleepiness and fatigue Based on expert estimations, 10 to 15% of all road fatalities are due to sleepiness and fatigue. Seat belts and helmets Seat belt use has been compulsory in front seats since 1976. Outside urban areas they have been compulsory in rear seats since 1993 and in urban areas since 2001. Dedicated child restraint use is compulsory for children of 150 cm or less. In 2015, 83% of front-seat occupants and 39% of adult rear-seat occupants wore a seat belt, which is low in comparison to best performing countries. In addition, these rates have lowered since the last survey in 2013, when they were at 87% and 57% respectively. Table 15.6. Seat belt wearing rate (%) by car occupancy and road type 2000 2013 2015 Front seat General (driver + passengers) 86 81 Driver 87 82 Passenger (front seat) 49 87 83 Urban roads (driver) 35 85 75 Rural roads (driver) 48 83 80 Motorways (driver) 62 90 Rear seats General 57 39 Children (use of child restraint) 90 79 Helmet wearing has been compulsory since 1965 for motorcyclists, since 1997 for moped riders outside built-up areas, and since 1998 for moped riders inside built-up areas. The compliance rate by motorcyclists is nearly 100%. There is no mandatory helmet use law for cyclists. 222
National road safety strategies and targets Organisation of road safety In Hungary, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of National Development are responsible for road safety. Overall responsibility rests with the deputy state secretary of the Ministry of National Development. The Hungarian Transport Strategy and the Road Safety Action Programme 2014-16 The Road Safety Action Programme 2014-16 is integrated into the Hungarian Transport Strategy. The primary aim of the programme for 2014-16 is to improve road user behaviour, increase the level of compliance with traffic rules, develop individual responsibility and establish partnership in road traffic. Detailed road safety action plans are developed for each year. The National Transport Strategy builds on the previous Hungarian Transport Policy 2003-2015, which included targets to reduce the number of injury crashes and road fatalities by 30% from 2001 to 2010 and by 50% by 2015. Road safety targets The Hungary Transport Strategy includes a road safety target aiming at decreasing by 50% the number of road fatalities between 2010 and 2020. It also includes an interim target of fewer than 518 road deaths by 2016. In addition to the national target, Hungary adopted the European Commission s target to reduce by 50% the number of road fatalities by 2020, in comparison with 2011 level. Monitoring targets KTI continuously monitors the road safety situation and each year publishes a detailed evaluation based on outcome indicators (number of deaths and injury crashes) and also on a set of safety performance indicators (such as the use of seat belts, child restraints, daylight running lights, etc.). Based on the evaluation of the previous programme, KTI recommends dedicating further efforts to increasing the use of seat belts and child seats, installing more speed cameras and better protecting vulnerable road users. Considering the increase in 2015 to 647 fatalities, it seems unlikely that Hungary will reach the interim target set by the Hungarian Road Safety Action Programme for 2014-16 of 518 fatalities. Recent safety measures (2013-16) Road safety management As of 1 September 2014 the Highway Code was modified: Drivers are forbidden to overtake buses transporting children at stops where children get on and off. Application rules for child restraints in the front seats of passenger cars are more precise. Reduced speed limits around educational institutes only apply during school hours. Speed management A new intelligent camera system (VÉDA) was installed in 2014. The system will enable better detection of traffic violations. 223
Figure 15.5. Trends in road fatalities towards national target Fatalities National target 2015-2020 EU target 2020 1 600 1 400 1 200 1 000 800 600 400 518 370 200 319 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Infrastructure A new road category, fast roads, has been agreed. The roads in this category have dual carriageways and a central barrier, but, unlike motorways, they allow for intersections, traffic control signals and roundabouts. The speed limit will be 110 km/h. Recent and ongoing research KTI is conducting a number of road safety research projects (SENSOR, ROSEE, PRO SAFE, Safety Tunes projects). More information can be found at: www.kti.hu. References McMahon, K. and S. Dahdah (2008), The true cost of road crashes: Valuing life and the cost of a serious injury, www.irap.net (accessed 8 April 2016). Further reading Holló, P. and D.S. Kiss (2015), How to Deliver the Necessary Data about Serious Injuries to the European Union, Journal of Traffic and Transport Engineering, Volume 3, Number 4, pp. 247-253. April 2015 (Serial Number 7). Török, Á. (2015), Case Study on the Relationship between Road Safety and Economy in Hungary. American Journal of Vehicle Design, 3(1) pp. 1-5. (2015). Török, Á. (2015), Introduction to the Road Safety Situation in Hungary, PERIODICA Polytechnica- Transportation Engineering, 43(1) pp. 15-21. (2015). Websites Institute for Transport Sciences (KTI): www.kti.hu. Road Safety in South East European Regions (ROSEE): www.rosee-project.eu. South East Neighbourhood Safe Routes (SENSOR): www.sensorproject.eu. Safety Tunes: www.safetytunes.eu/web/. 224
From: Road Safety Annual Report 2016 Access the complete publication at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/irtad-2016-en Please cite this chapter as: ITF (2016), Hungary, in Road Safety Annual Report 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/irtad-2016-19-en This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to rights@oecd.org. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at info@copyright.com or the Centre français d exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at contact@cfcopies.com.