100% safe roads: Why not?!
On March 18, the City of Montreal pledged to eliminate accidents causing death and serious injuries on its roads. Mayor Valérie Plante confirmed her administration’s commitment to the principles of Vision Zero and laid out the foundations of its road safety strategy and action plan.
The objective: Zero injuries, zero deaths
Vision Zero is an ethics-based approach that makes human safety and well-being central to transportation priorities and needs. The ultimate goal is to prevent all deaths and serious injuries on roads by modifying infrastructure and rolling out awareness-raising initiatives that focus on strengthening rules and compliance to prevent serious accidents.
An important vision in light of a disturbing situation
On average, 14 pedestrians, 10 passengers, and 2 cyclists die in Montreal each year. Seventy-five percent of collisions causing death or serious injury take place at intersections. Not surprisingly, 65% of them are caused by:
· Distracted driving
· Running red lights
· Failure to yield
· Dangerous driving
· Impaired driving
Human error
“Why? Because human beings are prone to error,” said CAA-Quebec Foundation Director Marco Harrison. “Humans aren’t perfect, and they can make mistakes, especially when driving gets complicated. Reducing speed limits and putting ten times more stop signs at intersections is no longer enough. We have to develop technologies, rethink problematic roads and intersections, and promote approaches that work. Vision Zero exemplifies these types of changes, and I salute the City of Montreal’s vision and courage in implementing it.”
Vision Zero: More than wishful thinking
As a leader in road safety, CAA-Quebec endorses Vision Zero and supports the City of Montreal in its efforts. “It may be ambitious to aim for zero deaths and zero serious injuries, but not setting a target to improve these statistics would be unacceptable,” said Mr. Harrison.
In addition to the target of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on the road, CAA-Quebec is on board with Vision Zero’s inclusiveness. It involves all road users, including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and truck drivers. “There is room for everyone who uses the road, and no one has the right to break the rules. In order to coexist harmoniously, all user groups must work together toward the same objective,” Mr. Harrison noted.
CAA-Quebec and Vision Zero
CAA-Quebec will be involved in the Vision Zero action plan, along with 30 other organizations in the Greater Montreal Area that prioritize road safety. The CAA-Quebec Foundation will step up its work with elementary school children by promoting implementation of school safety patrols and Trottibus, the “Walking School Bus,” to raise awareness about safe transportation and road sharing among children.
In the past 90 years, the patrols have raised awareness about safe driving among over 500,000 students.
Vision Zero: A collective challenge we’re ready to meet!