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EUGENE VISION ZERO
<br />Traffic Safety in the United States and Sweden, 1995-2015
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<br />What is Vision Zero?
<br />Vision Zero is a transportation safety philosophy that was developed in Sweden in the late
<br />1990s to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in the transportation system. Sweden
<br />already had a significantly lower crash rate than the United States. Even with a low crash rate,
<br />Sweden was still able to work beyond the low hanging fruit and reduce traffic fatalities by
<br />half over 20 years. Sweden is now one of the safest places to travel in the world. By contrast,
<br />traffic fatalities in the U.S. have dropped by only 30 percent over the same time period . If we
<br />would have adopted Vision Zero at the same time as Sweden, over 15,000 lives could have
<br />been saved in the US in 2015 alone.
<br />Vision Zero calls on us to think differently about traffic safety, and to reach beyond traditional
<br />silos to work together for a truly worthy outcome : the elimination of traffic deaths and life-
<br />changing injuries on our streets. Central to Vision Zero is the idea that people should not be
<br />killed or experience life-changing injuries as a consequence of simply using our streets.
<br />Vision Zero recognizes that we all make mistakes, and that the transportation system should
<br />be designed to minimize the impacts of those errors. When crashes do occur, they should
<br />not result in death or life-changing injuries.
<br />In the past five years, over 30 U.S. cities, including Eugene, have adopted Vision Zero goals.
<br />Many have developed detailed action plans to eliminate traffic deaths . While each city
<br />has adapted the program to its own unique needs and situation, the Vision Zero approach
<br />is helping ensure that improving traffic safety is focused on the most powerful tools, like
<br />wholesale speed reduction . Addressing issues of equity has also emerged as a critical
<br />component of Vision Zero initiatives .
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