A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS - To Parent Directory

Sustainable transportTo cut vehicle CO 2emissions new legislation is in the pipeline - thisfollows the poor performance of car manufacturers on reachingthe voluntary target of 140g/km set in 1999 for 2009. Vehiclescurrently emit an average of 163g/km.Air travel has also been targeted and is proposed to come under theEU greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme from 2012 which allowsparticipating countries to buy or sell their emission allowances.This could cut CO 2emissions from aviation by 46% by 2020.To halve the number of road deaths in Europe by 2010, a string ofinitiatives are underway and are already proving effective. Thanksto the Trans-European Transport Network, Europe’s major roadsare becoming safer through better infrastructure and engineering.The most vulnerable road users – pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists– are safer too, with heavy goods vehicles now required bylaw to fit blind spot mirrors. Other road safety devices are beingdeveloped and promoted. An eSafety Aware campaign has beenset up to promote the use of Electronic Stability Control technologywhich is said to cut road accidents by more than 20%.026Making a differenceWherever possible, share your car. Parents know the benefits ofshared school runs. But how about sharing the car to work, pickingup a colleague or two on the way? And if you live in a town andthe public transport system could take you where you need to go,try it out if you aren’t using it already. Cars are habit-forming, tryanother way to get to work. You may find that not dealing with rushhour jams or fighting for a parking space is a more relaxing way tostart your day.Do yourself a favour - travel by bike. Not only does this have lessof an impact on the environment, but it also helps to keep you inshape. There are a number of public bicycle ranks sprouting up allover Europe - Germany’s Call-a-Bike, France’s Vélo à la Carte andthe Netherlands’ OV Fiets are just a few examples.If you are going to use a car, it’s important to consider safety:• Buckling up could save as many as 5,500 lives a year in theEU. Failure to wear a seat belt is the second biggest causeof road deaths after speeding and ahead of drink-driving• Smart driving - adapting your speed and anticipating is safer,saves fuel and money, and cuts emissions