Surrey RoadSafe has unveiled an ambitious new plan aimed at reducing road fatalities and serious injuries to zero by 2050.
The Vision Zero Road Safety Strategy 2024-2035 is a collaborative initiative between Surrey County Council, Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue, the region’s police and crime commissioner, National Highways and other key partners.
Surrey’s road network has seen between 20 and 30 fatalities annually in recent years, and hundreds of serious injuries.
Vision Zero marks a renewed commitment to addressing these tragic figures, with a more immediate goal of reducing fatal and serious road casualties by 50% by 2035, using a baseline average of 2019 and 2022 figures.
Key highlights of the strategy include:
- Targeting the “fatal five” offences: drink/drug driving, speeding, distracted driving, not wearing seatbelts and careless driving.
- Safe speed Initiatives: investment in speed management, including new speed cameras and traffic calming measures in high-risk areas.
- Education and public awareness: road safety education in schools, media campaigns, and partnerships with local communities will focus on the consequences of unsafe driving.
- Improved infrastructure: strategic road improvements outside schools, in residential areas, and on high-risk rural roads.
Matt Furniss, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure at Surrey County Council, said: “One life lost on our roads is one too many. Vision Zero reflects our collective ambition to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries, ensuring safer roads for all road users, from motorists to pedestrians.”
Upcoming actions
Surrey RoadSafe plans to introduce a more flexible approach to 20mph speed limits, focussing on town centres, residential areas, and schools. It will continue to review and implement appropriate speed limits as part of a rural speed limits review by 2028.
Surrey RoadSafe will also deliver a suite of media campaigns to drive behaviour change. New technologies, such as eCall, will be promoted to ensure fast responses to collisions and comprehensive post-collision care will be made available for victims and their families.
Lisa Townsend, Surrey’s police and crime commissioner, said: “The Vision Zero Strategy provides us with a unique chance to work together and make significant strides in reducing road casualties. Every collision impacts individuals, families, and communities, and we are committed to making Surrey’s roads safer.”
Surrey RoadSafe has also written a blog post to accompany the launch of the Vision Zero strategy.
improved infrastructure can mean many different things
Narrowing carriageways to provide protected space for active travel tends to reduce speed of vehicles.
Paul Luton, Teddington
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As a board member of PACTS and RoadSafe and head of the Road Safety Foundation’s Older Driver Task Force, I welcome Surrey’s initiatives and look forward to seeing an action plan or plans on how these ambitions are to be realised. Good luck and please keep me posted.
John Plowman, Richmond / Chiddingfold
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