The RACC Foundation, a reference in road safety and mobility

The RACC Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes all kinds of promotional and dissemination activities related to the culture of the automobile, with the aim of having a positive influence on the attitude of motorists, protecting the interests of users and improving the quality of life of citizens with regard to mobility. Since its creation in 1994, the RACC Foundation has been one of the main references in the field of mobility, exerting its influence ability to introduce specific and agreed improvements in this area.

OBJECTIVES

In its eagerness to promote a sustainable mobility, the RACC Foundation carries out studies, campaigns, as well as educational and orientational actions in the following fields:

Road Safety: contributing to speed up the reduction process of the road accident and death rate on Spanish roads, based on an integral perspective of road safety and focussing the efforts on the human factor as the main concurrent element in road accidents.

Mobility management: promoting a more efficient management of mobility, promoting actions to reduce the congestion levels, favouring an informed debate on large infrastructures and promoting the development and dissemination of telematic technologies.

The environment: Raising the awareness of people as regards the necessary balance between mobility and the environment, disseminating best practices in this field among users in order to be able to contribute to the reduction of the air and noise pollution levels caused by transport.

As a member of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the RACC Foundation does also take part in several international initiatives coordinated by working and research groups on safety and infrastructures of the FIA.

STAFF

The team of the RACC Foundation is made up of the following people:

Miquel Nadal - Director of the RACC Foundation
Lluís Puerto – Technical Manager of the Fundación RACC
Carme Gibert – Head of Programmes
Marc Fíguls – Mobility Expert
Guillem Bernatallada – Expert in ITS Projects
Javier Ferrer - Expert in ITS Projects
Josep Laborda - Expert in ITS Projects
Raimon Soler - Documentalist
José Alejandro Tirone – Road Safety Expert
Núria Ubach - Assistant

In 2014 and 2015 the Foundation continued to carry out a wide range of activities in all those fields that are part of its scope of work. Being aware of the current evolutions, the Foundation has paid special attention to the emergence of new mobility services - boosted by the massive application of communication technologies - as well as to the impact of the economic improvement recorded from 2013 onwards on questions as varied as the accident range, the congestion or the air quality.

Several activities have been carried out in the field of road safety, both as regards the behaviour of users, as well as the evolution of the vehicles and the road condition. As regards the latter, the studies carried out with regard to the possibility of diverting trucks from conventional roads to highways in those sections in which these two types of roads run parallel, with the aim of reducing the high accident rate, have been particularly important. These studies focussed initially on the case of the N-340, to be precise, on the section of this road in the province of Tarragona, but were later extended to become an analysis of almost 2,000 km of the Spanish road network, in which there are similar problems and where the diversion of trucks to safer roads could be applied as well.

As regards the environment, we continued carrying out activities focussed on the reduction of the impact of mobility on the CO2 emissions and the climate change, as well as on the improvement of the air quality. We obviously made an exhaustive follow-up of the so-called “Volkswagen case”, which arose after it was discovered that the manufacturer had incurred in fraudulent practices in the emission measurement tests of its vehicles. This case – which hasn’t been closed yet – will surely have a significant impact on the way that manufacturers, authorities - policymakers – and also users are going to face the environmental risks implied in mobility with the private car.

The Foundation has also been very active in a series of initiatives, with a more horizontal character, focussed on questions concerning the management of mobility or the dissemination of new services and new technologies. The participation in I+D projects, with essentially European funding, has significantly increased. Worth to be mentioned, in this sense, is the I-CVUE project for the promotion of a shift towards the electric vehicle in company fleets. This is a project that will have a real and major effect on the way in which companies manage their mobility, and it is a paradigmatic example of the role that the Foundation can play as a transmitter of the knowledge created in research projects, taking it to companies that will apply it and benefit from it.

Last but not least, we have to mention the celebration during the year covered by this annual report, of the 20th anniversary of the Foundation. Twenty years are many years, but they go by very fast, particularly in a field that is as dynamic as mobility. And especially if they are lived with the passion and the commitment that they have been and are lived by the Foundation. A proof of the work carried out along these 20 years – and of what is still left to do – was gathered in two publications prepared especially for this occasion: 20 Years Contributing to the Improvement of Society and Moving Forward to a Better Mobility.

Josep Mateu

Towards a new mobility culture

The RACC, through its Foundation, has been dealing with mobility as an economic and social model that at the same time is reflected in the model of the city and the country, for twenty-two years. Mobility is a collective action which is not exempt of values, values that are in deep evolution.

These last two years have witnessed this evolution: With the European “Zero Accidents” target in mind, the fight against road accidents has turned issues like the high accident rate on the N-340 road into a public backlash, concerning the media, the civil society and the local administrations, with the direct involvement of the RACC, claiming for immediate measures to prevent more deaths on this road. The fight for safety has continued to be a key target of the Club, which has also revealed and searched for the causes of the standstill of the descending curve of the road accident rates.

This debate on safety has been joined in recent years by sustainability. The emergence of the Volkswagen case, which the RACC has analysed close-up, has been an example of this evolution of the value that we all collectively give to the quality of the air and the fight against the greenhouse gases. To efficiently solve the productive model and the question about the exhaustion of fossil fuels forms part of the debate that we are carrying out collectively about which is the new mobility we want.

Likewise, the recovery and the economic growth have led to an increase of mobility. However, the debate does not seem to lie in moving more, but in moving better, in a more intelligent way. The RACC has paid attention to the opportunities provided by the digital transformation applied to mobility and the evolution of the intelligent vehicle, as well as to the debate it generates in the field of data protection both of the user and the vehicle.

Mobility has emerged as a value in itself. As a fundamental right of people, which is necessary to live in freedom and, mainly, in community. An individual and collective right that, as such, involves the duty to move following civic, sustainable, respectful and reflexive behaviours and habits. This is the new mobility culture that comes into view. The Annual Report 2014-2015 of the RACC Foundation is a testimony of it.

STUDIES

App Observatory – Fuel Station Information. Comparative study of Apps with information about fuel stations. The report assesses ten of the Apps that have been developed in Spain, five for mobile phones with iOS (iPhone) operating system and five for mobile phones with Android system. (January 2014)

RACC Report on the Gran Vía in Barcelona. Report on the impact of the recent changes made on the carriageways of the Gran Via in Barcelona, proposing a series of solutions and recommendations. The study was handed out to the mobility technicians of the Barcelona City Council. The largest part of the proposals made by the RACC will be applied. (February 2014)

Audit of the orientation signs in Terres de Ponent. Study of the orientation signs in Terres de Ponent, an analysis with the aim of detecting whether or not the orientation signs fulfil the basic functions for which they were designed. 132 itineraries were designed, initially recommended by the on-board navigation systems (GPS). (February 2014)

Audit of urban through-roads in L’Aldea, Bàscarra, Vallirana and Bellcaire. Audit of the quality of these through-roads, with the aim of assessing the necessary compatibility between the urban function they fulfil for residents and the function for users that use them for interurban travels. (March 2014)

App Observatory – Maps and Navigators. Comparative study of smartphone Apps related to mobility. Ten Apps dealing with maps and navigation were analysed, of which TomTom Iberia (iOS) and Google Maps (Android and iOS) were the best valued, with four RACC stars. None of the Apps achieved the top score. (April 2014)

Traffic Congestion in Spain. Report published with the collaboration of Inrix, on the data of traffic congestion recorded in the large metropolitan areas of Spain, comparing them with the data of 2010. The result allowed identifying a decrease by 63% of the traffic congestion, mainly due to the economic crisis and the high unemployment rates. (April 2014)

Rise of the accident rate during the first quarter. Assessment report on the road accident rate of the first quarter of the year, presented on the occasion of the exit operation at the start of the Easter Week. (April 2014)

Accident rate and traffic intensity on the N-340. Report on the accident rate and the traffic intensity on the N-340, in which the RACC introduced a series of proposals for action. Worth mentioning is the proposal made to the Spanish Ministry of Public Works and the Catalan Department of Territory and Sustainability, to divert the traffic of heavy vehicles from the N-340 to the AP-7 highway. Following the report, the Foundation launched a campaign through social media with the hashtag #N340SinAccidentes, in order to stop the road accident rate on that road. (April 2014)

Manipulation of the odometer, a trendy fraud. Presentation of the report on the odometer manipulation fraud with second-hand vehicles. The report includes recommendations for users and proposals for a law reform. At the end of the press conference there was a demonstration of how the device that allows for the manipulation works. (May 2014)

Audit of the signposting in Tarragona. Audit that analyses the signposting in 108 itineraries of the municipality, initially those recommended by the on-board navigation systems (GPS). (May 2014)

Audit of the effects of the works carried out at the urban ring road of Plaza de Les Glòries on urban mobility. Study in which the effects of the works to transform the Plaza de Les Glòries and how they influence the surrounding traffic conditions, during the demolition phase of the ring road. (June 2014)

Study on car taxation. Report analysing the proposals of the Commission of Experts on the reform of the taxation system, reminding of the European guidelines that are based on the environmental factor. (June 2014)

Study on the fuel prices. Study based on the data of June, analysing the price difference between fuel stations at the coast and in inland towns and mentioning the cheapest service stations of all coastal regions of Spain. (June 2014)

Apps Observatory - Public Transport. Comparative study of Apps for smartphones offering information services for public transport, most of them focussed on the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. The best valued is “Moovit”, the App that offers information on the largest number of public modes of transport. (July 2014)

iRAP Catalunya. Report on the Catalan road network after being analysed according to the iRAP protocol (International Road Assessment Programme), which is focussed on the prevention of risks before the road accident happens. The aim of this study is to promote improvements of the main road network in Catalonia (5,000 km) under criteria of maximum return with minimum costs. (July 2014)

EuroTest Ferries. Study on European ferries carried out together with 17 European automobile clubs that are gathered in the EuroTest consortium, during which 18 passenger ferry lines were inspected in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. All of the ferries transport passengers with vehicles. (July 2014)

EuroTest. Study on the prices of short trips to different European cities (Barcelona and Madrid included). The prices of 20 products and services covering the typical needs of tourists were verified and compared in 20 cities of 18 different countries. (September 2014)

Motorcycle Audit in the urban area of Barcelona. Audits of the safety of motorcycles in urban areas with the aim of achieving a progressive improvement of the infrastructures and the mobility services for users of this type of vehicles. (October 2014)

Comparative study on the connectivity of smartphones and vehicles. In collaboration with the ADAC, we analysed in the detail the connectivity and functions offered by eight vehicles (Audi A1, Ford Fiesta, Mini Cooper 2014, Opel Adam, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, VW Polo 2014 and Toyota Yaris) in combination with three current smarthphones with Android (Samsung Galaxy S4), Windows Phone (Nokia Lumia 1020) and iOS (Apple iPhone 5S) platforms. (October 2014)

Study on low-cost child restraint systems. Study that gives an answer to the consumer demand of information on child restraint systems of less known manufacturers that are usually sold through Internet platforms at more affordable prices. (November 2014)

Audit of regulated car parking areas in Girona. Audit to assess the condition and working of the blue and green car park areas in different areas of Girona. The study combines the assessment of the quality of the services for direct users of the car park spaces and what this type of car park spaces can imply for the community, considering the effects on other types of road users as well as the service level offered to the city and its policy for a sustainable mobility. (November 2014)

EuroRAP. The EuroRAP assessment study on Spanish roads was prepared and presented for the 12th year in a row. The analysis criteria of this edition have been more demanding, as they have been adapted to the European target of reducing traffic fatalities by 50% by 2020. (December 2014)

Study on the braking system of light motorcycles. Study on the braking system of light motorcycles, carried out with the collaboration of the FIA, ACI, ADAC, and AMZS. It analyses the effectiveness of the CBS and ABS systems to assist braking manoeuvres based on braking tests carried out with five light motorcycles. (2014)

FC Barcelona mobility study. Mobility study of the accesses to the Camp Nou, on match days. A series of proposals for improvement were submitted, some of which are being implemented, such as the signposting outside the member car park area. FCB did also request the RACC to perform a study on the impact on mobility generated by the recently approved "Espai Barça" and its refurbishment. At the same time, the RACC carried out the signalling project of the member car park areas at Camp Nou along the roads outside the soccer stadium. (2014)

Car park audit in Lloret de Mar. The RACC Foundation was hired to carry out an audit and submit proposals for the improvement of the outside and inside signposting of the three main car parks in Lloret de Mar. (2014)

Plan for the Improvement of Signposting in Catalonia. The Catalan Government requested the performance of a diagnosis of the signposting on Catalan roads within the Integral Plan for the Improvement of Signposting in Catalonia. The diagnosis consisted in the performance of a survey among 2,000 road users, the on-site analysis of 900 km of Catalan roads of different owners and territories and a comparative study of the regulations and signposting criteria in different regions, such as Andalusia, Aragon, the Netherlands and France. (2014)

Report on the traffic congestion in Barcelona. Presentation of the results of the analysis on the congestion levels at the access roads of the main European cities, based on the data provided by the international Scorecard Congestion Study by INRIX (to which the RACC supplies the data from Spain). (January 2015).

Apps Observatory - Taxis. Presentation of the new study on Apps for smartphones related to mobility, which analysed taxi booking services. The analysis reveals that the two most popular Apps are also de Apps with the best scores: MyTaxi and Hailo. For this study, we analysed the six Apps for smartphones that allow requesting taxi services in the city of Barcelona. (January 2015)

Report on the proposal to allow the circulation of trucks of up to 60 tons (megatrucks). Publication of the report on the change of the General Vehicle Regulation that allows the circulation of trucks with a maximum mass of 60 tons on the Spanish road network. (January 2015)

Audit of through-roads (Olot, Miami Platja, Ponts and Pineda de Mar). Presentation of the audit of the quality of through roads in towns, performed with the analysis of four basic aspects: mobility, road safety, urban appropriateness and traffic intensity of heavy vehicles. The overall assessment of the four through-roads is of 50 point of a maximum of 100 points.

Audit of motorcycles in the urban area of Madrid. Presentation of the audit that gathers the usual behaviour of motorcycle riders, the available road infrastructure for this group and the sustainability and accident rate aspects related to mobility on motorcycles or scooters. This report is an update of the report carried out in 2009 and shows a positive evolution of the achieved results. (April 2015)

Analysis of the road accident rate in Spain during the first quarter of 2015. Assessment study of the road accident rate during the first quarter of the year. The analysis revealed that until 26 March 2015, there had been an increase by 14% of the fatalities compared to 2014. (April 2015)

App Observatory – Radar Information. Study of the Apps offering radar information services that analyses six pay-Apps. For the assessment, we carried out field tests in different environments (road and city, mainly Barcelona and nearby roads) and we checked their reaction faced with different types of radars and several settings and driving conditions. We also analysed the level of distraction that the use of these Apps can cause on drivers. (April 2015)

Analysis of child restraint systems (CRS). Presentation of the study analysing 27 CRS, including two models according to the new “i-Size” standard. The test carried out in 2015 implied stricter technical requirements than in previous years. For example, the dummys and the sensors used during the crash tests have been updated, new side-impact protocols have been introduced and the analysis criteria for toxic substances have been updated to match the current standards applicable to toys and textiles. (May 2015)

Study on driving distractions. A survey was carried out in order to know the habits of drivers and pedestrians as regards the use of the smartphone during urban driving/walking, as well as the risk perception of road users in general. We also carried out on site observations to record the use in real conditions both by drivers and pedestrians or bicycle riders.

Report on the restriction of heavy vehicles on the Spanish road network. Presentation of the report “A reasonable proposal: Let us concentrate the traffic of heavy vehicle on the safest roads”, proposing the diversion of heavy vehicles from conventional roads to highways or motorways in 24 sections of the Spanish Road Network, applying a discount of 50% on the tolls to be paid by these type of vehicles. The report proposes this measure following the good results achieved with the diversion of vehicles from the N-II to the AP-7. (July 2015)

Apps Observatory – Avoiding distractions. Report on Apps for smartphones related to mobility, in which we analysed the Apps that help to avoid or minimise some of the distractions at the wheel, in particular those derived from written or voice messaging.

N-340 road. Publication of a press release by the RACC demanding from the Administration an immediate solution to the problems with the accident rate on the N-340 road, one of the worst sections of the Catalan road network, on which there have been 66 deaths in the past 5 years, 17 of them in 2015. An action was carried out in social media, asking citizens to join the demand, using the hashtag #N340SinAccidentes. In November the RACC issued a note questioning the efficiency of the proposal by the Ministry for Public Works to build nine roundabouts on the N-340. (July-November 2015).

Advisory services FC Barcelona. We adapted the work carried out in 2014 for FCB, i.e. the assessment study of the mobility generated by the future facilities of "Espai Barça", due to changes made on the urban planning proposal for the surroundings.

Study of the effect of solar radiation on the inner temperature of vehicles. Presentation of the study that was carried out together with the Swiss automobile club TCS to show the risks entailed by the high temperatures that can be reached inside a vehicle when exposed to sun radiation in summer. (August 2015)

Draft bill on Climate Change. Drawing-up of a report with arguments regarding the tax on CO2 emissions of motor vehicles, and submission of the report to the Catalan Agency for Climate Change at the Catalan Government.

Apps Observatory – Car Parks. Report on Apps for smartphones related to mobility. This time we analysed different mobile Apps that make several parking tasks easier: searching, checking for information, booking, paying... (September 2015)

Pregnant women and road safety. Presentation of a study on the changes of the mobility habits during pregnancy and the road accident rate of pregnant women and their foetuses. The study that consists of a statistic analysis and an opinion poll was carried out with the collaboration of CatSalut (Medical Emergencies) and Fundació Faros de Sant Joan de Deu. We produced a leaflet with the main conclusions and recommendations which was distributed during the visits at the emergency services of the CatSalut network (October 2015)

Tunnel audits. Two road tunnels were inspected, operated by the concessionary company Cedinsa: the Joanet tunnel on the C-25 road and the Casserres tunnel on the C-16 road, both of which were considered as “very good”. The audits were carried out with German experts provided by the ADAC, within the 2015 European Tunnel Test.

Audit of through-roads (Sant Boi de Llobregat, Alcarràs, Cunit and Ripoll). The report is drawn-up regularly to assess the compatibility between the urban function of through roads for residents and the function they have for users that use them for interurban travelling. Four basic aspects are analysed: mobility, road safety, urban appropriateness and traffic intensity of heavy vehicles. (November 2015)

Study of the autonomous emergency braking. In collaboration with Bosch, we presented the study and a demonstration of the benefits of one of the driving assistance technologies with the largest potential to save lives in road accidents: the autonomous emergency braking system (AEB). This technology is considered by experts as one of the most significant advances in terms of vehicles safety since the introduction of the safety belt or the airbag. (November 2015)

EuroRAP. 13th EuroRAP road assessment study in Spain. In this edition we analysed 1,386 sections of the Spanish road network, which represent 24,803 kilometres of the network and concentrate 51% of the total road mobility in Spain. (December 2015)

iRAP. Project for the revision of the quality of the iRAP data on the roads of Mexico. We were awarded by the Asian Development Bank to carry out together with the engineering company Eptisa, as a temporary consortium, a project to audit and improve the roads in India. (2015)

Integral plan for the improvement of signposting in Catalonia. Audit of the signposting carried out for the Department for Territory and Sustainability of the Catalan Government. (2015)

Report on tolls. Report on tolls and the income they generate in Spain, identifying territories, highways and sections that generate the most income. (2015)

FIA survey on connected vehicles. Participation in the survey carried out by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) about the opinion of users about the connected car and the use of personal data. The survey was carried out among more than 12,000 European users (Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and Czech Republic), with the collaboration of different automobile clubs. (2015)

Air quality and marking of polluting vehicles. Drawing-up of a proposal for the analysis of real emissions of pollutants of the travelling fleet in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The study was agreed on with Barcelona Regional, AMB and the Barcelona City Council. The results will allow us to identify the most polluting types of vehicles and their age in order to design policies to improve the air quality. (2015)

CAMPAIGNS

Campaign for the improvement of road safety for the elderly, in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council. Campaign in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the FIA Foundation, focussed on the protection of the elderly, one of the most vulnerable groups as regards the accident rate. A total of 30,000 leaflets were printed, with messages for drivers and elderly people, in addition to 1,000 posters with the messages of the campaign, produced together with the Agency for the Elderly of the Barcelona City Council, the Agency for Safety and Mobility and the RACC Foundation. (March 2014)

iMobility Challenge. The iMobility Challenge Campaign was launched in Barcelona, coinciding with the inauguration of the RACC Motor Show. The campaign, led by the FIA and co-funded by the European Commission, had the target to promote the main technologies for a more efficient and safer mobility. The event was held in the fcilities of the FC Barcelona. (October 2014)

“My World” Campaign by the UN. Participation in the dissemination of the international survey launched by the UN “My World”, in order to know the priorities of the world’s population. One of the 16 proposals to choose from were better roads and transport services. (2014)

Campaign for the use of the bicycle helmet in Barcelona. Presentation of the campaign to promote the use of this protection element in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council and Clear Channel. The initiative included actions like the painting of pictograms with the bicycle helmet on cycle paths, the exhibition of a giant inflatable helmet at the Arc del Triomf in Barcelona with the motto of the campaign and giving away 1,100 helmets at Bicing stations (public bike rental service), as well as the dissemination of the campaign messages on digital boards located at the entrance and ring-roads of Barcelona. (May 2015)

EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Young People and Driving Programme. Launch of the educational pack of the Young People and Driving Programme, with a multimedia format, aimed at secondary, high school and professional education teachers. (2014)

“Young People and Driving” Contest. Staging of the 7th edition of the contest, in collaboration with the Catalan Traffic Authority and the Association of Information and Communication Media (AMIC), with a total of 1,355 registered entrants. A total of 825 works were submitted (321 short stories, 155 videos and 349 photographs). The award ceremony was held on 19 June in the Auditorium of the RACC. (June 2014)

“Young People and Driving” Contest. Staging of the 8th edition of the contest, in collaboration with the Catalan Traffic Authority and the Association of Information and Communication Media (AMIC), with the participation of 1,612 young people, who submitted a total of 1,271 works including photographs, videos and short stories. More than 10,000 secondary and high school students have taken part in the eight editions of the contest held so far. (June 2015)

ElectroCat, electric car project. Collaboration with the ElectroCat championship, organised by the city councils of La Riera de Caldes. This project is co-funded by the Catalan Employment Agency (SOC) and the collaboration of the Education Department of the Catalan Government, the Association of Car Workshops of Sabadell and the Province of Barcelona, and the companies Honda, Infranor-Mavilor and Tempel Group. The championship was carried out between several teams that had to design and manufacture the chassis of a four-wheel-vehicle.

Learning E-Mobility Project (LEMO). Participation in the European project in consortium with other entities in order to carry out training activities for trainers (Learning E-Mobility, LEMO), to design an educational pack for secondary school and vocational training schools about electromobility, within the European call Erasmus+. The project was started in the last quarter of 2014 and has a duration of 2 years.

The RACC hosted a meeting of the consortium during which one of the training sessions of one week was carried out in order to explain the development model of electromobility in Barcelona to other European countries.

CONFERENCES

10th AMTU Conference on mobility. Participation in the round table “How did the crisis affect the mobility with the private car?”, organised by the Association of Cities with Urban Transport. Several sessions dealing with mobility management, technologies and vehicles were carried out, and also a session dedicated to more specific topics, such as the refurbishment of the Plaza Catalunya, à la carte transport services, the improvement of the public transport network of Sabadell or the metropolitan “safe bicycle parking” system Bicibox, amongst others. (April 2014)

6th National Congress on European Traffic Policies. Participation in the round table on “Research and applied technology to road safety” within the framework of the International Congress on European Traffic Policies, organised by the Catalan Traffic Authority, focussed on the strategic road safety plans that are being worked on throughout Europe. (May 2014)

iRAP Workshop. Workshop about iRAP held together with the Catalan Government. The sessions were held in the facilities of the Department for Territory and Sustainability of the Catalan Government and were attended by delegates from the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark and Slovenia, who discussed strategies for the improvement of infrastructures and best practices with Catalonia. (May 2014)

Conference on Superblocks. The RACC Foundation, together with the Association of Civil Engineers, organised a conference/debate on Superblocks with the participation of experts and heads of the Barcelona City Council. (July 2014)

LIVE. Participation in a round table at the Smart City Expo World Congress, with the attendance of Mr. Samuelle Furfari, Adviser to the Deputy General Director of DG Energy at the European Commission, amongst other members of the LIVE platform. (2014)

Barcelona Road Safety Forum “Motorcycles and Risk Assessment”. Staging of the 21st Road Safety Forum, during which the consequences and the challenges of the integration of two-wheeled vehicles in urban mobility were treated, based on the spectacular increase of the motorcycle and scooter fleet in Barcelona during the last decade. (November 2014)

International Conference HeERO-2. Participation in the final 1st International Conference on the European project HeERO-2, in which the results of the project were highlighted and where each of the pilot countries shared their experiences. There was a demonstration of the eCall system for automatic emergency calls for vehicles. (November 2014)

22nd Barcelona Road Safety Forum. Staging of the 22nd edition of the Forum under the title of “Co-existence and road safety, a shared challenge”. The speakers of the forum dealt with the topic of co-existence in public spaces, based on examples of innovative solutions that are being implemented by cities worldwide, favouring respect, compromise and co-existence in urban surroundings. The RACC presented its study on Feminizing driving. (November 2015)

LIVE. Participation in the conference of Sustainable Mobility within the framework of the 3rd Mediterranean Conference on Energy Efficiency and Smart Green Cities in Tarragona.

PARTICIPATIONS

Road Safety Commissions. Participation in the meetings of the Higher Council for Traffic and Road Safety of the Spanish Traffic Authority, as well as in the Catalan Commission for Traffic and Road Safety, the Motorcycle Group of the Catalan Traffic Agency, and the Mobility Pact of the Barcelona City Council.

Urban Mobility Plan. Participation in the working groups set up by the Mobility Pact in order to prepare the Mobility Plan Barcelona 2013-2018. The Foundation prepared a survey aimed at 3,000 RACC contacts to know their opinion about mobility in the city. (2014)

Metropolitan Urban Mobility Plan. Advice on coordination and technical coherence of the different working groups that take part in the Metropolitan Urban Mobility Plan (PMMU) of AMB. (2014)

Cluster Agreement on Energy Efficiency. An agreement was signed to become part of the Energy Efficiency Cluster that groups companies that offer, promote or develop products or services related to energy efficiency, among their activities, with the aim of encouraging their innovation in different areas: building, mobility, public services and industry. (2014)

LIVE platform for the promotion of electric mobility. Inclusion of the RACC as member of the LIVE platform (Logistics for the Implementation of Electric Vehicles) to support the promotion of electric mobility. The aim of this public-private platform is to encourage the development of electric mobility in the city of Barcelona and all of its metropolitan area.

HeERO-2. Participation in the consortium of the eCall pilot test in Spain together with the Spanish Traffic Authority, ITS España, Telefónica, Ericsson, NZI, CTAG, Ficosa, GMV, CEIT, Cartif, and the 112-emergency call centres in Galicia, Castilla-León, Madrid and Comunidad Valenciana, amongst others.

EuroRAP / iRAP. Participation in the EuroRAP General Assembly as well as in the meetings of the Board of Directors, while presenting a joint offer with the engineering company Eptisa, to carry out a project in India.

Vehicle marking. Participation in the working group established by the Spanish Traffic Authority and by the Ministry for the Environment, for the definition of the labels to be received by vehicles (cars, vans, motorcycles and trucks) according to the pollution they generate, thus allowing the cities to apply incentive policies for the cleanest vehicles and restrictions to those which pollute most.

Automated and Connected Driving. Participation in the working group of the Barcelona City Council BBCAD (Barcelona Board for Cooperative and Automated Driving) which is preparing proposals for European projects to implement an area to test automated vehicles in the Barcelona Forum. The RACC takes part as the driving force of the user area (acceptance, requirements, HMI...) and as provider of traffic information to manage the automated area. Other partners are the Barcelona City Council, UPC, Applus Idiada and Cellnex (Abertis Telecom).

MOBiNET (European Commission). Participation in the project to design a unique digital architecture to exchange mobility services throughout Europe. It started in January 2013 and the end is scheduled for August 2016.

CODECS Project (European Commission). Start of the European project to support promotion activities for the cooperative technologies between cars and infrastructure (V2I). The technologies deployed for Europe will be mapped and there will be a debate on how to share best practices between the different agents of the sector. The project has a duration of 3 years. (May 2015)

“RACC Connected Car” project. The Connected Car project was carried out along the year. It was funded by the FIA in order to carry out a remote diagnosis of breakdowns with a group of volunteers, RACC members, who fitted their cars with a specific device and tested the service themselves. (2015)

RIS3CAT. We also presented the R6D project within the RIS3CAT project for the identification of breakdown patterns according to the vehicle model, age and kilometres, as well as other data generated by the car itself, with the aim of improving the breakdown diagnosis service of the Mechanical Assistance department. (2015)

OTHER

MoviNews no. 50. Publication of the 50th issue of the MoviNews Newsletter. Since its first issue, the newsletter has been trying to reflect in an entertaining but rigorous way the evolution of sustainable mobility in Spain and Europe, gathering both the activity of the RACC and its Foundation, and studies and interesting news from other entities. (January 2014)

Catalan Parliament. Appearance of the RACC Foundation before the Commission for the Study of Road Safety. We presented the targets of the Foundation, the actions that have been carried out in terms of people and their current priorities, such as the accident rate of motorbikes on urban roads. the relationship between alcohol and driving, the condition and the management of infrastructures, and the connected vehicle. (2014)

CRS Toolkit. The FIA awarded the RACC Foundation a contract to produce an online toolkit for the rest of the automobile clubs in the world, that includes contents and materials to carry out campaigns and studies to favour the use of child restraint systems in cars, as well as legislation to provide for a compulsory use in countries in which this does not exist yet. The project was finished and handed over to the FIA in 2015, and will be available to the clubs worldwide from 2016 onwards.

The accident rate in Barcelona. Collaboration with the Big Data Centre of Excellence of the BarcelonaDigital centre to analyse the serious and fatal accidents in the urban area of Barcelona (inside the ring-roads) with Big Data techniques that allow drawing conclusions for the reduction of the accident rates in the city.

Collaboration Award "Your Vision is Your Life" by the association Visión y Vida. The association Visión y Vida (Vision and Life) presented the RACC with the Collaboration Award "Your Vision is Your Life", for the contribution of the club to the achievement of the targets of the association. The RACC and Visión y Vida collaborated in the preparation and dissemination of studies on the importance of a good visual health of drivers for road safety. This collaboration was restarted in 2015 to update the data of the study made in 2011.

Agreement with the Psychologists’ Association of Catalonia. A collaboration agreement was signed with the Psychologists' Association of Catalonia in order to study the data from the tests made in the Driver Recognition Centres which are authorised by the Spanish Traffic Authority. The aim is to be able to suggest measures to improve the realization of tests through the detection of deficiencies in users by age/gender.

Vía Directa. A total of 218 complaints made by citizens were received in 2014, 11% more than in 2013.

Vía Directa. Around 131 complaints were dealt with in 2015. Signature of the agreement between RACC and the Barcelona County Council for the management of incidences of this public administration.

New website of the RACC Foundation. In early 2015 we started to work on the definition of formats and contents for the new website of the RACC Foundation, together with the Website Channel Department. It is planned to have the new website of the RACC Foundation ready and online in 2016.

20th Anniversary of the RACC Foundation. The 20th Anniversary of the creation of the RACC Foundation was celebrated in April, with an institutional event which was attended by the Mayor of Barcelona. (April 2015)

The Volkswagen Case. In the second semester of 2015 a fraud by the manufacturer Volkswagen was discovered. They installed software in millions of vehicles in order to pass the homologation test of polluting emissions. The RACC Foundation, in coordination with the Communications, Web Channel, Legal Advice and Member Attention Departments, drew-up a list of FAQs which was published on the website to keep the affected members informed.

The Volkswagen Case. Coordination with the FIA and other European Clubs (ADAC, ANWB, ACI, TCS, ÖAMTC) to carry out tests before and after the repair of some of the affected vehicles, with the aim of establishing whether or not the manufacturer is altering the performance of the vehicles during the repair works and to act consequently defending the right to complain of the affected members. Moreover, we are working at international level to have a more robust European legislation in order to avoid these types of fraud in the future.

I-CVUE (Incentives for Cleaner Vehicles in Urban Europe). The Foundation was selected by the European Commission to become part of a consortium (together with Bosch, Transport for London, the Austrian Energy Agency, and others) to develop the ICVUE project between 2014 and 2016, within the European programme Intelligent Energy Europe. The project consists of performing audits of corporate vehicle fleets to assess the convenience and cost of a migration from combustion vehicles to electric or hybrid vehicles. (2014)

CARMEN Project. The works for the integration of converters in the vehicle, a well as plugs to provide for charging facilities for electric vehicles that have no battery were continued on 2015. At the end of the year, the contract with CDTI was extended due to breakdowns that delayed the works. The finalization of the project is scheduled for June 2016.

smartCEM project. The RACC headquarters in Barcelona hosted the final event of smartCEM, a European project focussed on the promotion of electric mobility. During the three years since the implementation of the project several services for electric vehicles were developed and tested in the pilot cities: San Sebastián, Barcelona, Newcastle and Reggio Emilia. The service was not continued due to the lack of users, which was caused by a limited offer of motorcycles. (February 2015)

Automated Driving. The RACC participates in the working group of the Barcelona City Council BBCAD (Barcelona Board for Cooperative and Automated Driving) which is preparing proposals for European projects to implement an area to test automated vehicles in the Barcelona Forum. The RACC takes part as the driving force of the user area (acceptance, requirements, HMI...) and as provider of traffic information to manage the automated area. Other partners are the UPC, Applus Idiada and Cellnex (Abertis Telecom).

Collaboration with the Spanish Traffic Authorities (DGT). During the first semester of the year, we collaborated with the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT) in drawing-up the first traffic instruction that regulates the tests with automated vehicles in open traffic, as has already been done in other European countries such as United Kingdom or the Netherlands.

Infotransit. In early November 2014, the RACC was awarded a contract by the Catalan Traffic Authority (SCT) for the provision of traffic data (travel times in the road network and average travelling speeds). It is one of the first experiences in which a public administration is supplied with traffic information by the private sector, thus complementing the traditional approach consisting in the deployment of their own sensors to register traffic flows.

CAFFENE project. Presentation of the proposal for a European collaboration project within the framework of Horizon 2020, in terms of “Transformation of the use of vehicles with conventional fuel in urban areas”. The project included an analysis of the measures and policies applied with the aim of increasing the use of vehicles with alternative fuels.

HeERO-2 Project (European Commission). The pilot project for the implementation of the eCall in Spain ended up detecting the main obstacles to start running the service. It is essentially pending the decision of the final organisation of the 112-centres in the autonomous regions, which are asking for an automatic reception of emergencies as opposed to the initial model that included a reception centre of the Spanish Traffic Authority as a previous filter.

Bahoris project. The RACC Foundation was hired to issue an opinion about the impact on road safety of a newly developed safety barrier made of concrete on the roads. (2014)

H2020 Programme (European Commission). Several calls for projects were published to which the RACC submitted applications with different consortiums within the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Commission. In late 2015, the RACC was awarded with the INLANE project (improvement of high precision navigation carriageway to carriageway) and is waiting for the award of the following projects: ADAS&ME, X-City, FEST, ADVICE (projects focussed on cooperative and automated driving and its interaction with the user as regards acceptance, technological interface and aspects dealing with legal issued and data property).

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUPS

FIA working groups and projects

• Transport & Mobility: Working group on mobility policies in transport at a European level, including car taxation, tolls and euro vignette, electromobility, etc. Right now they are preparing a study on the tax contribution of drivers in each European country in order to participate in the future discussions of the payment for the use of infrastructures.

• Legal & Consumer Affairs: Aspects related to consumers at a European level, including the implementation of the eCall and the access to consumer data. The legal framework as regards the access to the repair information of the vehicle, the new directive on motor vehicle taxation, amongst others, is also being reviewed.

• Technical: Coordination about technical aspects of the automobile, especially as regards polluting emissions, CO2 and safety. It also includes coordination in terms of tests carried out by the ADAC (tyres, batteries, crashtests, etc.). The group is currently working on an ISO standard to define a regulated and safe remote access to the vehicle data by third parties which are duly certified. The FIA is also carrying out a study that will be made available to the clubs, on the data that can be accessed remotely in a car and a survey among consumers about the knowledge and the perception they have about this topic.

• Connectivity Working Group: Working group that is working to identify possible synergies and common interests to be defended within the framework of the growing connectivity of vehicles (privacy, access and property of the data, third-party services). The activity has been restricted to topics dealing with European policies, since ARC is also working on everything related to the aspects of providing B2B services to vehicle makes. The FIA is preparing a study on the real business volume of the services connected to the vehicle.

• FIA Policy Commission: Worldwide working commission about aspects dealing with mobility and road safety policies that have to be promoted by the FIA.

• Coordination Group: Group that coordinates the contents of the Euroboard.

• Euroboard: Group that decides on public affairs of the FIA Region 1.

ERTICO working groups

• Supervisory Board: Board of directors of Ertico.

• Strategy Committee: Committee that deals with the strategy to be followed by Ertico in the different field it is working in.

• Traffic Management 2.0: Working group on traffic management with data generated outside the administration in general and for users in particular.

Mobility, a trending topic

Mobility of people is again a trending topic in the media, especially because it has become news as a consequence of the progressive standstill of the road safety improvements in our country, and also due to the big challenges of the future, implying the achievement of a new culture in order for us to move in a more sustainable, connected and affordable way.

Therefore, the studies and the opinion of the RACC Foundation continue to be a first choice reference for the media and for society in general.

The great dissemination work carried out by journalists allows us to transmit to all users (drivers, as well as pedestrians, motorcycle and bicycle riders, etc.) the messages of the Foundation in a rich and understandable way.

In these two years, we carried out communication actions related to connected mobility (study on the connectivity between smartphones and vehicles), sustainable mobility (study on the fuel prices, on the most congested cities, etc.) and safe mobility (study on the accident rate of motorcycles, balance of the rising road accident rates, campaign to promote the use of helmets among bicycle riders, the EuroRAP test assessing the accident risk on Spanish and Catalan roads, etc.). All of this without forgetting the different road infrastructures, such as the through roads in some Catalan cities, which allowed us to prepare an exhaustive ranking of the best and the worst through roads.

One of the backbones of the Foundation continues to be the defence of users, and therefore, along these years, we have publicly reported - always based on the rigor of figures - the odometer frauds that are currently being carried out in the sale of second-hand cars. We also recommended pregnant women what to do to have a safer mobility during this specific phase of their lives and we continued to make public the assessment reports of the latest novelties as regards child restraint systems (CRS), among other topics.

But the reporting topic on which we have focussed our biggest efforts has been the high accident rate on the N-340 road. The RACC Foundation has declared by all possible means and ways that this road needs urgent intervention due to the large amount of HGVs it has to carry. The Foundation also submitted during a press conference a proposal for the diversion of trucks from conventional roads to safer roads (highways and fast roads).

The RACC and the FIA

The relationship between the RACC Foundation and the Féderation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and other automobile clubs get stronger year after year. Got proof of it is the fact that the FIA asked the RACC to organise the iMobility Challenge conference. The conference consisted in a presentation of the main intelligent systems for vehicles to policymakers, professionals from the industry and mobility experts. One of technologies that the attendants were able to test was the autonomous emergency braking system (AEB). The event counted on the presence of Jean Todt, FIA President; María Seguí, Director of the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT); Pere Torres, Secretary for Enterprise and Competitiveness at the Catalan Government; and Frank Seidel, President of the Bosch Group in Spain and Portugal.

The Communication of the Foundation in figures

As a whole, during the years 2014-2015, the RACC Foundation has given 24 press conferences, the RACC has issued more than 176 press releases and has dealt with 887 requests for information or interviews by the media, 532 of them about topics dealing with the RACC Foundation (60% or the total).

Likewise, the RACC Media Room continues to be an ally for communication professionals, offering them the chance to look-up information and get multimedia resources (videos, podcasts and photographs), which are essential for their daily work.

The complete information issued by the Foundation has also been gathered in the MoviNews newsletter, which has managed to position itself as a reference publication in the field of sustainable mobility thanks to the inclusion of international topics and own articles.

The websites of the Foundation have also become a popular source of information, each one in its specific field of action. A highlight is the site RACC Información Práctica (RACC Practical Information), the aim of which is to offer users specific advice for their daily mobility, with more than 919.422 pages viewed along these years.

The communication figures of the RACC Foundation in 2014-2015

• More than 300 media attended the press conferences
• 24 press conferences
• 532 requests for information or interviews for the Foundation (out of the 887 received for the RACC as a whole)
• 919.422 pages viewed on the RACC Foundation websites

The websites of the Foundation

Information
RACC Foundation
RACC Información práctica (RACC Practical Information)
Tribunas de la Movilidad (Mobility Forums)

Service
RACC Infotransit
MoviNews Newsletter
Vía Directa

Education
"Joves i Conducció" Contest (Young People and Driving)
Young People and Driving Programme
RACC Educa

Campaigns
Rescue Sheet