DEKRA interactive map on “Vision Zero” has been online for ten years
Cities around the world prove the goal of zero traffic fatalities to be achievable
- www.dekra-vision-zero.com maps data from 26 countries
- DEKRA experts continuously analyze the latest available statistics
- Efforts must continue at all levels
A central approach to road safety work is “Vision Zero”, aiming to design road traffic in such a way that there are no more fatal or serious injuries to road users. Early critics called this a utopia. In contrast, well over 1,200 cities around the world have long since proven that the goal is already achievable in terms of fatalities. For ten years, the international expert organization DEKRA has been highlighting these successes in an interactive world map.
For the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2014, the experts first analyzed the available data from the International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group (IRTAD) on a large scale – with a focus on inner-city traffic. The result at the time: hundreds of cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants had already achieved the target of zero traffic fatalities in at least one year since 2009. An internet tool made it possible to delve deep into the data collection. It was presented for the first time at the International Transport Forum (ITF) 2014 in Leipzig.
Since then, both the analysis of the data and the online portal have been continuously expanded. Initially, 17 European countries were mapped; today there are 26 countries. The focus is still on Europe, but the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Japan are now also included. Even among major cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, almost 300 have already achieved the “Vision Zero” target in at least one year. Among the largest cities on the list is Espoo in Finland (more than 300,000 inhabitants).
“Aiming for ‘Vision Zero’ is the only appropriate strategy – because every person killed in road traffic is one too many”, says Jann Fehlauer, Executive Vice President of the DEKRA Group. “More than 1,200 cities prove that ‘Vision Zero’ is achievable. Efforts to achieve the goal in many more cities as well as outside an urban context must continue at all levels. According to the approach of shared responsibility, as pursued by ‘Vision Zero’, everyone involved is called upon to do their part. DEKRA has been making its contribution to this for almost 100 years and will not let up in this respect”, Fehlauer emphasizes.