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They were as proud as punch, the operators of the four winning tunnels, recipients of the "European Tunnel Award" presented at the beginning of this year for the first time in the history of tunnel testing. Austria's Ottsdorf tunnel, the Brinje tunnel in Croatia, Spain's M-12 tunnel and the Markusberg tunnel in Luxembourg - the winners from three years of EuroTAP (European Tunnel Assessment Programme). The second highlight of the celebratory event in Brussels was the presentation of a comprehensive EuroTAP Final Report packed with facts and figures on the technical condition of Europe's tunnels. It compiles the experience gained in all the tunnel tests over the past nine years. This marked the end of the first stage of EuroTAP.

EuroTAP, launched at the beginning of 2005 by twelve motoring clubs from eleven countries under the aegis of the FIA and with the financial backing of the European Commission, has planted the issue of European tunnel safety firmly and squarely in the public eye. The three main pillars of the programme are systematic testing of Europe's most important road tunnels plus user friendly information and educational campaigns. The aim is to boost awareness of tunnel safety among those in authority, to achieve transparent tunnel standards and to thus improve these standards along with motorists' behaviour in tunnels.

The fundamentals
Tunnel testing began back in the disastrous year of 1999 when 51 people lost their lives in the horrific blazes in the Montblanc and Tauern tunnels. As luck would have it, just two days after the inferno in the Tauern tunnel, ADAC published the results of the tunnel test conducted throughout Europe, including results for the fatal tunnel. The media response was dramatic. And history took its course. More and more motoring clubs came on board. By 2004, ADAC and its partner clubs had tested around 150 tunnels and published the results across Europe.

Module 1: the tunnel tests
In 2005, the test series became EuroTAP. According to the principle of "testing - assessing - informing - improving", the partner clubs stepped up their campaigns across the board. From 2005 to 2007 alone, EuroTAP inspectors travelled more than 125,000 kilometres, which is equal to three times around the world, testing 152 tunnels in 18 European countries. Their work produced the following findings: 60 percent of Europe's most important road tunnels demonstrated a high level of safety and were rated "good" or "very good". However, 21 percent of tunnels failed to meet the minimum standards. Put concretely, twelve tunnels were rated "poor" and a further 19 "very poor". Evidently, the days of tunnels being empty black holes have not yet come to an end. There is still a need for action, especially in older tunnels.

The fact that EuroTAP is successful has been demonstrated time and again. Take the San Juan tunnel in southern Spain, for example: last place in 2002 with a rating of "very poor" and heavily criticised in the media as the worst tunnel in Europe. Spain's government invested around four million euro in order to quickly bring this tunnel up to scratch. Today, this is a state-of-the-art, safe tube. A similar series of events took place in Germany's Kappelberg tunnel near Stuttgart. The harsh criticism expressed in the 2002 test and a rating of "poor" also gave cause for action here. Around 12 million euro went into refurbishing this tunnel.

Module 3: information for motorists
Now let's take a look at the most important element in this safety concept: the motorist. A pan-European information campaign trains motorists in how to behave correctly in tunnels. After all, the human factor is one of the main causes of accidents in tunnels. In order to train motorists, an interactive computer game was developed, the "Safe in the Tunnel" training DVD, as well as a leaflet of the same name, which were distributed to motorists throughout Europe. Motorists can also visit the websites of the clubs and use the "Tunnel Info sheets" to obtain details of all the tunnels tested within the scope of EuroTAP as well as comprehensive information about them.

Module 4: the tunnel database
152 tunnel tests each conducted according to some 200 test criteria; also generate a huge amount of detailed knowledge, contacts, photo and film material. This immense resource of facts and figures has now been systematically archived and packaged in an online database available as a joint platform to all the motoring clubs participating in EuroTAP. This archive is unique in Europe and only marks the beginning; other phases of expansion are due to follow.

The future
The tenth anniversary of the ADAC tunnel test opened up a new chapter for EuroTAP. The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l´Automobile) has taken over from the European Commission which supported the project over the past three years and the circle of partners has increased to 19 motoring clubs in 18 European countries.

Two more key aspects could be added to the activities pursued up to now: training for tunnel staff and for tunnel planners. These people have a decisive role to play in the management of incidents. The results of the most recent tunnel test also underpin the need for action here. With a "EuroTAP Training for Tunnel Staff" e-learning platform, training can be made more varied and cost-efficient by linking theory and practice. A "EuroTAP Tunnel Planner" computer program could also help to harmonise the level of safety. This program could be used by planning engineers to develop plans and by tunnel operators and authorities to check the level of safety in their tunnels.

Europe is on the right track towards improving the level of safety in road tunnels. And EuroTAP has contributed to this. Europe's motoring clubs will continue to pursue this aim with determination, true to their common goal of making all of Europe's tunnels safer by 2019.