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Vision Zero increases safety awareness by creating a culture of intolerance to the
loss of life and the suffering caused by the consequences of poor decision-making.

The Concept...

The Vision Zero initiative is built on a conceptual approach developed in the mid- 1990’s by public health researchers in Sweden looking for more effective methods to reduce seemingly intractable fatalities from road traffic accidents. The approach is based on a belief that while errors in a complex system are unavoidable, it is possible to alleviate the consequences of error and that “safety… is based on a refusal to accept human deaths or lifelong suffering as a result of road traffic.”

The project, a long term policy initiative, is based on developing better understanding of human behavior. It postulates that it is possible to use a public health model combining research, engineering, education, and enforcement to arrive at a zero accident rate. Cost analysis models are developed to determine what “tools” are the most effective in getting to zero singularly or in combination, based on the question: can we achieve the results within a practical framework? An investment plan and policies are then developed as strategies towards moving to zero accidents of consequence.

At its core, Vision Zero is the “image of a desirable society.” It is a belief and cultural values system tied to active policy for implementation based on a premise that errors of consequence can be eliminated.

At the AAMS Spring Conference in DC in March of 2005, the AAMS Board of Directors adopted Vision Zero as our community's safety program to promote safety awareness with a program that would reach the community with timely information and educational opportunities.

So how do we apply Vision Zero to our community? All of us must commit to Zero Errors of Consequence with no fatal crashes or serious injuries. As a community, we must determine and agree on a timeframe in which this can be accomplished. There must be an agreed upon system of measurement and commitment to identifying and implementing best practices that will enable us all to reach this goal.