The Road to Zero: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050

Abstract

R® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution RightsThis document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.orgiii PrefaceWith this report, RAND continues a history of work in both traffic safety and scenario development and analysis. This report develops a scenario for the year 2050 in which not a single person in the United States dies in a traffic crash. This scenario is intended to inform and help coordinate future efforts in traffic safety across multiple stakeholders. We developed this scenario based on the results of three stakeholder workshops, held in 2017, that brought together participants in the recently instituted Road to Zero Coalition who represent a variety of stakeholders in traffic safety-professional engineering and planning organizations, public-sector organizations, safety advocates, vehicle manufacturers, technology developers, public health, emergency medical and trauma organizations, and law enforcement and judicial system representatives. This report does not necessarily represent the views of each coalition member or organization or individual that participated in the three stakeholder workshops. This work was sponsored by the National Safety Council, which also convened the Road to Zero Coalition. It will also be of particular interest to any of the types of stakeholders listed above, in addition to local, state, and federal elected officials with responsibility for traffic safety.The research reported here was conducted in the RAND Science, Technology, and Policy program, which focuses primarily on the role of scientific development and technological innovation in human behavior, global and regional decisionmaking as it relates to science and technology, and the concurrent effects that science and technology have on policy analysis and policy choices. The program covers such topics as space exploration, information and telecommunication technologies, and nano-and biotechnologies. Program research is supported by government agencies, foundations, and the private sector.RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment...

United States Pedestrian Fatality Trends, 1977 to 2016

“…Transportation safety leaders should take immediate action to reduce the risk of future pedestrian fatalities. For potential strategies, the U.S. should look to the approaches used in European countries and recommended by the Road to Zero Coalition ( 1, 24 ). Safety leaders should call for fundamental changes in the transportation system through combinations of roadway design, vehicle design, education, and enforcement strategies as well as complementary land use and vehicle design policies.…”

“…The Road to Zero Coalition, including dozens of cities, states, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, set a goal to reduce U.S. traffic fatalities to zero by 2050 ( 1 ). Pedestrian safety is important for this goal since pedestrians account for 16% of all U.S. traffic fatalities ( 2 ).…”

“My right to walk, my right to live”: pedestrian fatalities, roads and environmental features in Benin

“…The Safe System Approach includes interventions targeting vehicles, roads, users, and speed limits [ 19 , 20 ]. In Benin, where traffic rules are often not followed and where the transport system includes a large number of motorcyclists (> 80%), a large portion of road safety interventions are targeted at users, with motorcyclists in particular highlighted among vulnerable road users.…”

Influence of road types on road traffic accidents in northern Guizhou Province, China

“…A trauma database should be established as soon as possible. As described by Ecola et al., 14 through implementing effective plans and policies, improving emergency response and trauma care, strengthening safety education and publicity, speeding up the development of driving assistance technology, and forming a new safety culture, zero death could be achieved on American roads by 2050. In addition, we should call on more people to adopt green travel modes and reduce the use of motor vehicles, which would not only reduce the incidence of RTAs but also improve people’s health.…”