WHERE TO START

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.

Across the country, communities are committing to Vision Zero, which, in addition to setting the goal of zero traffic deaths or severe injuries, also commits communities to a fundamental shift in how they approach traffic safety and roadway design.

Vision Zero is a system-based approach that improves infrastructure for vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. The goal is to provide safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for everyone.

WHAT IS VISION ZERO?

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. Across the country, communities are committing to Vision Zero, which, in addition to setting the goal of zero traffic deaths or severe injuries, also commits communities to a fundamental shift in how they approach traffic safety and roadway design.

Vision Zero is a system-based approach that improves infrastructure for vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. The goal is to provide safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for everyone.

Vision Zero started in Sweden in 1997 and has proven to be a successful tactic across Europe. It started as road policy stating that loss of life is an unacceptable price to pay for the luxury of mobility. This approach puts emphasis on addressing the road design and faults within it instead of placing blame on the driver for the collision. Sweden has one of the lowest annual rates of road deaths in the world, and fatalities involving pedestrians have fallen nearly 50 percent.

Vision Zero is still relatively new to the United States. New York City was the first American City to adopt a Vision Zero Action Plan and approach in 2014 to combat traffic related fatalities and serious injuries. Slowly, other cities across the U.S. have been adopting action plans of their own to try and increase safety for all modal users.

The Vision Zero Network is a nonprofit campaign started in 2015 to help communities reach their goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities and severe injuries. The network brings together leaders in health, traffic engineering, police enforcement, policy and advocacy to develop and share winning strategies and to support strong, distributed leadership for policies and practices that make Vision Zero a reality1. For more information about Vision Zero, please visit: https://visionzeronetwork.org/about/what-is-visionzero/.