Achieving the Vision of Zero Roadway Deaths Through the Safe System Approach

In recent years, the U.S. has experienced an epidemic of roadway injuries and fatalities, especially when compared with rates in other high-income nations. One strategy U.S. policymakers have utilized to combat the problem is the introduction of Vision Zero plans affirming a commitment to implement actions to reach zero traffic-related deaths. The Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety (CSCRS), the safety-focused University Transportation Center (UTC) headquartered at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC), has conducted extensive research on Vision Zero plans and how to support them using the Safe System approach to road safety. 

Why a Vision Zero plan?
The U.S. roadway fatality rate is three times that of Ireland, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, and Spain; and four to five times that of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Singapore, and Norway1. In the first half of 2021 alone, motor vehicle deaths increased by 16 % compared with the previous year, according to the National Safety Council.