The Academic Expert Group recommendations for 2nd Decade of Action for Road Safety

Here are some of the basic questions that the group has focused on in the work of producing the recommendations:

• What processes and tools could be further developed or added to make actions even more effective and which sectors of the society could be further stimulated to contribute to the overall results?
• How can trade, occupational safety, standards, corporate behavior and other aspects of the modern society link in with
  road safety?
• How can nations, local authorities and governments as well as public and private enterprises, in particular major enterprises,
  be stimulated to contribute to road safety through their own operations?
• How can other important challenges, in particular those targeted in Agenda 2030, contribute to improve road safety, and vice versa? 

 

Nine recommendations for improved road safety

Below are the nine recommendations made by the Academic Expert Group (AEG) briefly described and presented by Claes Tingvall, chairman of the AEG and Professor at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

Modal Shift

In order to achieve sustainability in global safety, health and environment, we recommend that nations and cities use urban and transport planning along with mobility policies to shift travel toward cleaner, safer and affordable modes incorporating higher levels of physical activity such as walking, bicycling and use of public transit.

Sustainable Practices and Reporting

In order to ensure the sustainability of businesses and enterprises of all sizes, and contribute to achievement of a range of Sustainable Development Goals including those concerning climate, health, and equity, we recommend that these organizations provide annual public sustainability reports including road safety disclosures. And that these organizations require the highest level of road safety according to Safe System principles in their internal practices, in policies concerning the health and safety of their employees, and in the processes and policies of the full range of suppliers, distributors and partners throughout their value chain or production and distribution system.

Safe Vehicles across the Globe

In order to achieve higher and more equitable levels of road safety across the globe, we recommend that vehicle manufacturers, governments and fleet purchasers ensure that all vehicles produced for every market be equipped with recommended levels of safety performance, that incentives for use of vehicles with enhanced safety performance be provided where possible, and that the highest possible levels of vehicle safety performance be required for vehicles used in private and public vehicle fleets.

Childrens Health

In order to protect the lives, security and well-being of children and ensure the education and sustainability of future generations, we recommend that cities, road authorities and citizens examine the routes frequently traveled by children to attend school and for other purposes, identify needs, including changes that encourage active modes such as walking and cycling, and incorporate Safe System principles to eliminate risks along these routes.

Public Procurement

In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals addressing road safety, health, climate, equity and education, we recommend that all tiers of government and the private sector prioritize road safety following a Safe System approach in all decisions, including the specification of safety in their procurement of fleet vehicles and transport services, in requirements for safety in road infrastructure investments, and in policies that incentivize safe operation of public transit and commercial vehicles.

Speed limit of 30 kph

In order to protect vulnerable road users and achieve sustainability goals addressing livable cities, health and security, we recommend that cities mandate a maximum road travel speed limit of 30 kph unless strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe.

Upgrade Infrastructure

In order to realize the benefits that roadways designed according to the Safe System approach will bring to a broad range of Sustainable Development Goals as quickly and thoroughly as possible, we recommend that the governments and all road authorities allocate sufficient resources to upgrade existing road infrastructure to incorporate Safe System principles as soon as feasible.

Zero Speeding

In order to achieve widespread benefits to safety, health, equity, climate and quality of life, we recommend that businesses, governments and other fleet owners practice a zero-tolerance approach to speeding and that they collaborate with supporters of a range of Sustainable Development Goals on policies and practices to reduce speeds to levels that are consistent with Safe System principles using the full range of vehicle, infrastructure, and enforcement interventions.

Technology

In order to quickly and equitably realize the potential benefits of emerging technologies to road safety, including, but not limited to, sensory devices, connectivity methods and artificial intelligence, we recommend that corporations and governments incentivize the development, application and deployment of existing and future technologies to improve all aspects of road safety from crash prevention to emergency response and trauma care, with special attention given to the safety needs and social, economic and environmental conditions of low- and middle-income nations.

Watch the entire movie with all nine recommendations