The Austrian Chamber of Commerce is the legal representation of interests of the entire Austrian economy and has 518.000 members. Out of these the federal branch "Transport and Traffic" of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce represents 35.000 transportation companies of all means of transport (transport of passengers and goods on road, rail, navigation and aviation) as well as cable cars, garages, gas stations and driving schools. Altogether they employ about 200.000 co-workers. Their direct gross value added amounts to 13 billion Euros.

In order to improve road safety, we will focus on improving transport safety in Austria. As Austrian Chamber of Commerce, in which all Austrian transport companies are members, we therefore commit to the following actions over the next three years:

 

Austrian Days of Transport Safety

 

We will organize the Austrian Days of Transport Safety once a year as a meeting of professionals in transport to improve safety for everyone on the road.

 

The participants (target audience) are first of all carrying businesses (chief executives), heads of fleet, planners, heads of shipping, loading officers and drivers coming from transport economics, industry and commerce.

 

The Transport Safety Days consist of the Austrian Day of Load Securing and the Austrian Day of Hazardous Material Safety. 12 to 15 experts provide first hand information for the participants in 10 sequences each day. The event as a whole consists of a theoretical and a practical part.

 

The event is a useful forum for the exchange of news and necessities on all topics of transport safety: While representatives from ministries and police report on new laws, companies have the chance to discuss their matters directly with the representatives of the authorities. Experts, NGOs and external consultants raise awareness for dangers, impart knowledge and provide solutions for everyday work using visual aids in their presentations.

 

In "live checks" with some prepared vehicles legal questions, standards and practices of load securing are discussed with the representatives from the authorities (police, experts).

 

The executive authority and the companies both benefit from the dialogue. Regulations should be workable and accepted by the companies. The police control checks shall be efficient in all of Austria and standardized in all federal states.

 

Manufacturers present technical innovations (e.g. equipment for load securing, straps, non-slip mats, packaging).