“We want to be sure that as a partnership we are doing everything we can to prevent unnecessary loss of life and the pain, grief and suffering caused by each and every road traffic collision.”
That’s the view from the South Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership (SYSRP), as it becomes the latest organisation to pledge support for Vision Zero.
SYSRP says the long-term aspiration relies on a shared responsibility for road safety and believes that ‘no human being should lose their life or be seriously injured as the result of a road traffic collision’.
Tom Finnegan-Smith, chair of SYSRP Strategic Board, said: “Vision Zero is widely regarded as the most effective approach to saving lives on our roads.
“We want to be sure that as a Partnership we are doing everything we can to prevent unnecessary loss of life and the pain, grief and suffering caused by each and every road traffic collision.
“It’s a long-term ambition and will take a lot of hard work but any other target is simply unacceptable.”
First launched in Sweden in the 1990s, the Vision Zero approach states that death and serious injuries are preventable rather than inevitable on our roads.
In practice, the SYSRP says it will adopt a ‘Safe System’ way of working – a system that allows for the fact that humans make mistakes and are fragile when faced with the severe impact of a collision.
It is made up of five system themes: safe roads, safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds and post-collision care.
Mr Finnegan-Smith added: “The big difference with this approach is the acknowledgement that as humans we will make mistakes on the road.
“By having a robust system in place, if one part fails, the other elements will come together to prevent death or serious injury.
“Moving forward, all of the Partnership’s road safety interventions will fall under the five themes with partners working together toward agreed targets.”
South Yorkshire’s first step toward achieving Vision Zero – as well as ensuring greener, safer and more sustainable travel – is to halve KSIs (killed and serious injuries) by 2030.
Partnership road safety teams across South Yorkshire will deliver data-led interventions to those identified as most at-risk of being involved in a collision.
Mr Finnegan-Smith added: “Our partners in the police, fire, local authorities and National Highways are committed to working together to manage, design and operate a safe road system.
“We also need members of the public to play their part and adopt positive attitudes and behaviour on our roads.
“Vision Zero will only ever be possible if we all do our bit.”
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