Zero Deaths Initiatives & the Safe System Approach
Vision Zero, Road to Zero, and Toward Zero Deaths are the three initiatives working with coalitions at the national, State, and local levels to eliminate traffic-related fatalities across the United States (FHWA).
Zero Deaths Initiatives are a comprehensive re-thinking of road safety that treats all traffic fatalities and severe injuries as preventable while providing safe, accessible, and equitable transportation options for all.
Why does this matter? New Jersey’s pedestrian fatality rate continues to significantly exceed the national average.
Roadway deaths are preventable if we work together to create infrastructure, policies, action plans, and educational messages based on the premise that no child should die on a New Jersey road. Whether you are a municipality, school district, or other organization, we all have an obligation to create a safer future for our kids. We do not have to accept these fatalities and injuries as inevitable.
Source: FHWA
Recently, the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center has conducted research on best practices for integrating Zero Deaths Initiatives and the Safe System Approach into statewide transportation planning. The research explores how other states incorporate these approaches into their Strategic Highway Safety Plans, as well as how these approaches in turn benefit vulnerable road users and ensure transportation equity across the system. To learn more, read the Zero Deaths Initiatives and the Safe System Approach and Addressing Fatal and Serious Injuries through the Safe System Approach reports on our website. To download a slide presentation on Zero Deaths Initiatives and the Safe System Approach, click the icon to the left.