From 15–17 April 2026, the Eastern Partnership Road Safety Observatory participated in the 8th IRTAD International Conference in Athens. Data Specialist Mariam Lobjanidze and Deputy Head Emma MacLennan represented the Observatory, with Mariam presenting a new initiative from our Data Team on Developing a Road Safety Performance Index for the Eastern Partnership Countries.
IRTAD – the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group – is a permanent working group of over 80 members and observers from more than 40 countries operating under the International Transport Forum at the OECD. The organisation has become a central force in promoting international cooperation on road crash data collection and analysis. The Athens conference, jointly hosted by the National Technical University of Athens and the Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers, brought together global experts to explore how improved data systems and analysis can support evidence-based road safety policy. Key themes included human factors, speeding behaviour, vulnerable road user safety, automation, artificial intelligence and advanced modelling.
The EaP Road Safety Performance Index, adapted from the European Road Safety Performance Index, represents a new tool for the region. Rather than looking at road safety in isolation, the Index recognises road safety as a multidimensional system outcome – the product of user behaviour, vehicle safety, road environment and institutional response. By bringing these elements together, the Index will generate a composite benchmark for the five EaP countries, showing not only overall performance but also country-specific strengths and weaknesses across critical domains such as crash outcomes, risk factors, system performance, enforcement practices and institutional capacity.
The Index provides a methodological blueprint that can be adapted for ongoing regional monitoring within an observatory framework, and generates comparative insights into how data limitations, institutional strength and enforcement practices shape road safety outcomes across the region. Most importantly, it creates a foundation for quantitative benchmarking and trend monitoring, enabling each country to measure progress against itself and against regional peers.
Discussions at the conference underscored the importance of solid crash and road safety data to set national and regional targets, build road safety plans, monitor progress and report on results. It was recognised that data and targets are needed not only on road crash casualties but also on road safety performance indicators, vehicle fleet and mobility trends. While, the digital era offers new opportunities for fast safety advances through wide use of big data, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, traffic automation and connectivity, as well as new technological advancements.
The Eastern Partnership Road Safety Observatory's participation in IRTAD reflects its commitment to anchoring the region's road safety work in international best practice and global conversations. By presenting the Road Safety Performance Index, the Observatory demonstrated how the EaP region is building the data infrastructure needed to set regional targets, develop evidence-based road safety plans, and measure progress toward safer roads.
