State Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs of the Ministry of National Development János Fónagy opened the conference “New Decade, New Challenges in Transport Security” in Budapest on 11 December, 2013.

The Government regards the protection of human lives as a duty of prior significance. The number of death tolls in road accidents fell to less than a half by last year compared to a decade before. In 2011, the number of death tolls was reduced by 14 percent within a single year.

The Ministry of National Development has worked out a programme package that can be considered pioneering in Europe so as to improve the depressing statistical indicators. On the basis of the grant contracts signed already, the New Széchenyi Plan has funds of HUF 55 billion for investments targeted at the prevention of accidents involving human injury. Experts of road management and railway companies as well as the police have made proposals as regards the interventions to be implemented at accident blackspots. By the implementation of new developments prepared in the first phase, the amount to spend on the programme may grow to HUF 72 billion, János Fónagy explained.

The Development Ministry is thus to facilitate the further improvement of the objective conditions of transport security by powerful measures. The risk of accidents on the national road network is also to decrease thanks to the currently ongoing reconstruction programmes along minor roads neglected during the term of the previous government, the state secretary added.

(Ministry of National Development Communications Department)