The Safe System design philosophy is key to safe cycling which then encourages more people to cycle more often. The Safe System idea originated in Sweden in the 1990s and has been adopted by many countries since. In theory it is the philosophy here, but the reality is very different.
WHAT IS THE SAFE SYSTEM?
At the heart of the Towards Zero vision is the belief that no one should be killed or seriously injured from using the road network. The aim of Towards Zero is for a world free from road fatalities and serious injuries and the vision is underpinned by the Safe System approach to road safety.
The Safe System (otherwise known as Vision Zero, Towards Zero or Sustainable Safety) views human life and health as paramount to all else and should be the first and foremost consideration when designing a road network.
The principles underpinning the Safe System acknowledge that:
- People make mistakes which can lead to crashes; however, no one should die or be seriously injured on the road as a result of these mistakes.
- The human body has a limited physical ability to tolerate crash forces – any impact greater than 30km/h increases the risk of dying significantly.
- Road safety is a shared responsibility amongst everyone, including those that design, build, operate and use the road system.
- All parts of the road system must be strengthened in combination to multiply the protective effects and if one part fails, the others will still protect people.
At the centre of the system is people – people that are fragile and will at times make mistakes that can lead to crashes. With that understanding, the road system needs to put layers of protection in the form of safe roads, vehicles, speeds, people around the fallible and vulnerable human in order to prevent deaths and serious injuries.
SAFE SYSTEM PRINCIPLES
PRINCIPLE 1: HUMAN FALLIBILITY
People make mistakes which can lead to crashes
People by nature will make mistakes. When these mistakes occur on the road, they can lead to crashes. Even when people are not deliberately taking risks, they can still make mistakes that can result in a crash. As people are fallible, road trauma cannot be eradicated just by improving road user behaviour. With many millions of drivers in the world, expecting everyone to not make a single mistake that can lead to crashes every time they use the road system is not realistic so a safe road system needs to be able to accommodate and account for people making mistakes.
Figure 1: If it’s not safe to walk, it’s not safe to cycle
PRINCIPLE 2: HUMAN VULNERABILITY
The human body has a limited physical ability to tolerate crash forces
The human body is vulnerable not built to withstand impact forces greater than 30km/h – any impact greater than 30km/h greatly increases the risk of dying. In the road environment, unprotected road users such as pedestrians are most at risk of sustaining injury in the event of a crash. While a vehicle can help reduce or absorb some of the crash forces generated in a crash and help protect the occupant, the impact speed for different crash types, before the risk of death significantly, is still not as high as people may think and is not compatible with many of the speed limits set around the world. To build a safe road system and to reduce deaths and serious injuries, the human body’s tolerance to impact forces should be used as a guiding tool.
Figure 2: Impact Speed and Risk of Death
PRINCIPLE 3
Road Safety is a shared responsibility
Traditionally, the responsibility for staying safe on the road fell on individual road users. However, under the Safe System approach, road safety is a shared responsibility amongst everyone, including those that design, build, operate and use the road system. Everyone has a part to play in keeping ourselves and each other safe on the roads.
Figure 3: How we protect different road users
PRINCIPLE 4
Building a safe and forgiving road system
To help build a safe road system that is forgiving of mistakes, investment needs to made in the creation of Safe Roads, Safe Speeds, Safe Vehicles, Safe People and Post Crash Care to put layers of protection around people to keep them safe from death and serious injuries on the road. All parts of the road system must be strengthened in combination to multiply the protective effects and if one part of the system fails, the other parts will still protect people.
Figure 4: Teaching Road Safety vs Designing Safe Systems
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