Road Safety in the UK: The Need for Leadership and Vision Zero
As of September 2023, the UK's Department for Transport unveiled its updated Road Accidents and Safety Statistics. Disturbingly, the data portrayed a worrying trend: an 8% surge in casualties recorded as Killed Or Seriously Injured (KSI) in 2022, rising to 29,742 from the previous year's 27,450. Some notable insights include:
- Road deaths escalated by 8.7% year-on-year.
- 75% of all fatalities were male.
- Although cyclists saw a decrease in fatalities, the number of cyclists severely injured spiked.
- Distractions, impairment, and speeding led to the highest fatal collisions over the past decade, accounting for 458 lost lives.
Against this backdrop, it becomes important to ask: As countries around the world adopt the Vision Zero strategy, isn't it time for the UK to re-evaluate its road safety approach and policies?
Is it time for a Safe System approach in the UK?
Having recently returned to the UK after spending seven years in New Zealand, I had the opportunity to witness and support the country's adoption of the Safe System Approach in their 'Road to Zero' campaign— also known as Vision Zero.
Vision Zero is a world-leading approach that refers to a societal commitment to work towards zero harm on the road where no loss of life is acceptable. It acknowledges we are human and make mistakes. Therefore, while the road system needs to keep us moving, it must also be designed to protect us. First launched in Sweden in 1997, it has been adopted by places like Norway, New York and London.
Historically, the UK embraced road safety targets, starting in 1987, only to phase them out in 2010. Since then, there have been no clearly defined targets to further reduce casualties from the central government with decentralised approach. Yet, many experts within the industry advocate for these national targets, crediting them with marked reductions in road casualties. With current statistics showing stubbornly persistent road-related injuries and fatalities, isn't it time the UK fully commits to Vision Zero?
Vision Zero in the United Kingdom
Within the UK, Vision Zero has been predominantly associated with London, where it has been adopted by Transport for London (TfL) with strong leadership and support from the Mayor of London.
Other key areas that have shown a future desire to adopt Vision Zero:
- Greater Manchester: In June 2023, the Active Travel Commissioner, Dame Sarah Storey set out the city-region’s intention to adopt Vision Zero, with Vision Zero strategy being currently developed.
- Edinburgh: The Council have set out a Road Safety Action Plan for Edinburgh which sets out an ambitious target for zero fatalities on the city’s roads by 2030.
The Role of Leadership
In my opinion, political commitment is paramount to the successful implementation of any road safety initiative, including Vision Zero.
Research in 2020 involving 24 cities implementing VisionZero in Latin America and the Caribbean underscored that the most significant obstacle faced by these cities was a lack of political leadership. This underscores the fact that often safety measures such as reducing speed limits are not initially popular with the public and require strong leadership. The recent effective speed limit reduction in Wales is a good example.
What do we do Next?
Clearly a step change is needed on how we approach the challenge to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads. I would like to see the United Kingdom adopt a nationally co-ordinated Safe System Approach to address this issue.
I believe the following steps should be taken to ensure that future Department for Transport updates on Road Accidents and Safety Statistics, provide good news:
- Setting of national targets and a commitment from the UK Government to a Safe System or Vision Zero approach, with a focus on the 5 pillars of action.
- Increased investment in improved infrastructure for cyclists, pedestrians, and emerging modes of transport.
- Seek lessons learned from other countries and cities from around the world who are already on this journey.
Author: Edward Collin, Director - Hive Infrastructure
Date: October 2023