VISION ZERO

Both in 1996 and 1997, approximately 540 people were killed and 4,000 seriously injured in road traffic in Sweden. When international comparisons are made, taking into account the amount of traffic and the number of people, Sweden turns out to be one of the safest countries in the world. This means that one of the safest road traffic systems in the world creates a tremendous disaster every year. However, everyone accepts the heavy toll of the road transport system as an unavoidable price of our mobility. There is an urgent need to find a new way of looking at the road safety problem. On October 9, 1997, the Road Traffic Safety Bill founded on Vision Zero was passed by a large majority in the Swedish Parliament. Vision Zero is a vision of a road transport system with no fatal or serious accidents. "The long term goal is that no one should be killed or seriously injured within the Swedish road transport system, and the structure and the function of the road transport system must be brought into line with the demands this goal entails." The road transport system is very complicated and uncontrolled, so it is not realistic to have a vision of zero accidents. However, a vision where the violence that creates deadly or permanent damage to the human body is controlled is perhaps not unrealistic, even if it will take some time, cost some money, and involve other efforts and sacrifices to change the present system to fulfill such a demand.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Conference proceedings available only on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)

  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Huzevka, Pavel
• Conference:
  • Transportation Frontiers for the Next Millennium: 69th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Transportation Engineers
  • Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Date: 1999-8-1 to 1999-8-4
• Publication Date: 1999

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 4p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Fatalities; Highway safety; Injury rates; Legislation; Safety programs; Traffic crashes; Traffic safety
• Geographic Terms: Sweden
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00770277
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Publication No. CD-006
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 21 1999 12:00AM