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Europe and its road safety vision- how far to zero? Prof. Claes Tingvall, Director of Traffic Safety at the Swedish Road Administration and Chairman of EuroNCAP and Monash University Accident Research Centre Background Vision Zero Some examples Barriers for implementation The way ahead
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Swedish Road Administration Europe and its road safety vision-how far to zero? Prof. Claes Tingvall, Director of Traffic Safety at the Swedish Road Administration and Chairman of EuroNCAP and Monash University Accident Research Centre
Swedish Road Administration • Background • Vision Zero • Some examples • Barriers for implementation • The way ahead
Swedish Road Administration The current road transport system • Major mismatch between components of the system • Trade-off between health and benefits allowed • Unclear responsibilities • Unclear safety philosphy • Weak driving forces for change
Swedish Road Administration Vision Zero: a Safe Traffic Concept Goal • The long term goal is that no-one shall be killed or seriously injured within the Swedish road transport system. History • On October 9, 1997 the Road Traffic Safety Bill founded on "Vision Zero" was passed by a large majority in the Swedish Parliament. This represents an entirely new way of thinking with respect to road traffic safety.
Swedish Road Administration Vision Zero ≠ Zero Fatalities(At least not only)Vision Zero = 5 dimensions(or more?) • vision for many stakeholders • ethical platform • shared responsibility • safety philosophy • driving forces for change
Swedish Road Administration Vision for many stakeholders • Traffic safety is a shared responsibility for many stakeholders • A joint vision is a powerful tool to focus the work • A vision sets out a future desired situation - not a step by step action with no definition of it’s end point
Swedish Road Administration Ethical platform • Human life and health is paramount • Life and health can not, in the long run, be traded against other benefits • Mobility is a function of the safety level
Swedish Road Administration Shared responsibility • Historically main responsibility on the road user • In Vision Zero the responsibility is shared between road users and system designers
Swedish Road Administration Shared responsibility System designers are responsible for the design, operation and the use of the road transport system and are thereby responsible for the level of safety within the entire system. Road users are responsible for following the rules for using the road transport system set by the system designers. If the users fail to comply with these rules due to a lack of knowledge, acceptance or ability, the system designers are required to take the necessary further steps to counteract people being killed or injured.
Swedish Road Administration System designers = everyone that influences the design, function and use of the road transport system politicians community planners road managers municipal authorities vehicle manufacturers transport companies and everyone who professionally uses roads and streets police rescue forces and more
Swedish Road Administration Safety Philosophy ”Any well functioning man-machine system brings the failing human into the loop”. ”Blaming the victim approach is a catastrophe to prevention”.
Swedish Road Administration “Rule of Science” “We shall only use the best possible methods and base our action on the failing human”
Swedish Road Administration “Rule of Science” - cont. “The biomechanical tolerance of the human is the limiting factor for the road transport system”
Swedish Road Administration “Driving Forces” “The citizen’s legitimate demand for life and health is the main driving force for change”
Swedish Road Administration In order to get the citizens into the loop, all qualities of products and services should be openly declared examples NCAP for vehicles EuroRAP for infrastructure/ speed limit ? for transport services ? for heavy goods transport etc.
Swedish Road Administration Is Vision Zero expensive? • yes, to modify or compensate earlier mistakes is expensive • no, to do things right from the beginning is not expensive
Swedish Road Administration Typical costs - if made right from the beginning
Swedish Road Administration So what has happened?
Swedish Road Administration CENTRE GUARD RAILS On existing 13m wide roads
Swedish Road Administration SAFE ROAD AREAS Design for people leaving the road
Swedish Road Administration ROUNDABOUTS Intersection with problemsFocus on crashes results in signalsFocus on injuries results in roundabouts
Swedish Road Administration RIGHT SPEED Vehicles, roads and speeds must match
Swedish Road Administration COLLISION FOR SAFETY Euro NCAP Get everyone up to best practice by telling the public about safety differences
Swedish Road Administration TRAVEL POLICY IN COMPANIES Everyone company has a responsibility to assure safety
Swedish Road Administration SAFE TRANSPORTS Everyone buying or selling transports has a responsibility to assure safety
Swedish Road Administration And more • 30 km/h in built up areas (where unprotected and cars meet) • In depth studies of fatal crashes • OLA (in depth analysis together with system designers aiming at ”Letters of Intents” • National Collective Action • Euro RAP and other assessment programs • Other countries follow and so does the European commission, WHO and more
Swedish Road Administration System designers responsibilityAn example : What The Swedish Taxi Association • Highest seat belt use • Keep speed limits • No driving under influence
Swedish Road Administration System designers responsibilityAn example : How The Swedish Taxi Association is prepared to • Retrofit of seat belt reminders • Average speed measurement using cameras • Retrofit of alcohol starter inter-lock
Swedish Road Administration Barriers for implementation • The belief that one agency can plan and implement a whole traffic safety programme • Myths rather than scientific knowledge are driving the implementation of safety in the society • Safety is considered to be a restriction of mobility rather than a quality of mobility • ”Hidden agendas” are counterproductive
Swedish Road Administration The way ahead • Errors are absorbed – violations are not accepted at all • The provider of the infrastructure must guarantee the safety level of the infrastructure • Automotive industry must compete more about delivering safety to the citizen, and all stakeholders must commit to only buy safe cars
Swedish Road Administration The way ahead cont. • Transport industry takes a lead in using the road transport system in a sensible and responsible way, buy the safest products and support the development of a sustainable road transport system, (all other stakeholders do the same) • All stakeholders are accountable to the citizen