The Vision Zero Any loss of life in traffic is unacceptable

Transport systems are traditionally designed for maximum capacity and mobility, not safety. This means road users are held responsible for their own safety. The Vision Zero Initiative takes the opposite approach. We place the main burden for safety on system design because we recognise human weaknesses and low tolerance to mechanical force. Ultimately, no one should die or suffer serious injury in traffic.

From principle to law

The Vision Zero was first conceived in 1994. Like all good ideas, this one travelled fast. Just three years later, Parliament passed a Road Traffic Safety Bill that wrote the Vision Zero into Swedish law. The bill sets an ultimate target of no deaths or serious injuries on Sweden’s roads, and is not merely content to reduce accidents to an economically manageable level. Sweden has since modelled its road safety reform strategy on the Vision Zero approach.

Involving all of society

The Vision Zero also means putting an emphasis on market options and less on government enforcement and traffic education, because we believe that people really do care about safety. Our approach has produced positive effects throughout society. Swedish people now drive more responsibly on the roads and our private sector competes to save lives.