Environment Minister Sam Foster has welcomed traffic police and road safety experts from Europe, Australia and the US who are visiting Belfast for a major two-day international road safety conference.

One of the largest events of its kind, the conference agenda will focus on the carnage on Europe’s roads where more than 40,000 people are killed each year.

Welcoming the conference delegates to Belfast, Mr Foster said: "It is both a great honour and an immense benefit to have so many experts from around the world here in Belfast. We all face a major global problem, with 3,000 people per day being killed on the world’s roads and over 40,000 people per year losing their lives within the European Union. But these deaths should not be regarded as inevitable or accidental. They can and must be prevented.”

The Minister said that the conference would give the opportunity to examine innovative solutions to road safety problems from Australia, the US, the UK and Europe.

Experts in road traffic policing will present research from cities and regions across the world on programmes to tackle the major causes of deaths on roads – speed, drink driving, and not wearing seatbelts.

During the course of the conference delegates will hear information on controversial issues surrounding traffic policing such as drug testing for drivers; use of speed cameras, and how impounding unlicensed vehicles had reduced road crime and reduced road casualties.

The conference was organised by TISPOL, the European traffic police network. Current TISPOL President Chief Superintendent Denis Fitzpatrick of An Garda Síochána said the conference sought to highlight the trans-European dimension to road safety and was of “immense importance in consolidating all efforts in improving traffic policing and educating road users.”

RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, said: "The RUC and An Garda Síochána have a tradition of working closely together. In recent years this has been particularly evident in the area of road safety. We have linked up on cross-border initiatives in the areas of drink driving and the wearing of seatbelts. This TISPOL conference offers all of us a high level, professional Europe-wide forum where police and other experts can come together and debate the key issues of enforcement, education and engineering. We will be sharing ideas and examples of best practice in our efforts to achieve the common goal of improving road safety for all."

The conference will also examine new technologies for drug and drink driving, harmonised European traffic laws and licence endorsements. (SP)