Vision Zero: Traffic Safety

• No loss of life is acceptable
• Traffic fatalities and serious injuries are preventable
• We all make mistakes
• We are all physically vulnerable when involved in motor vehicle collisions
• Eliminating fatalities and serious injuries requires Edmontonians and the City to prioritize safety

• Injury from crashes is largely preventable and predictable — it is a human-made problem amenable to rational analysis and countermeasure, which requires holistic data and proactive interventions.
• Common driving, walking, cycling, and motorcycling errors and behaviours should not lead to death and serious injury. The transportation system should help us to cope with increasingly demanding conditions.
• The vulnerability of the human body should be a limiting design parameter for the transportation system. Speed management is central to this.
• Transportation safety is a multi-disciplinary issue and a public health issue. All sectors, including health, need to be fully engaged in responsibility, activity, and advocacy for injury prevention.
• Transportation safety needs to focus on all modes of travel. Equal protection is needed for all travellers, and we must recognize that when we travel in a vehicle, we bear more responsibility for the safety of others because we are protected by a metal frame. People moving outside of vehicles are not as protected and are at much higher risk.
• Transportation safety and injuries are social equity issues. Local knowledge needs to inform the implementation of local solutions. Our concerns and needs vary based on our identity.

We work with community groups, traffic safety experts, planners, engineers, academics, and Edmontonians to come up with solutions that keep everyone safe. We take into consideration data, research and best practices, as well as Edmontonians’ lived experiences.

We are using a data-driven, evidence-based approach, Safe Systems approach and the 5 Es of traffic safety:

• Engineering
• Education
• Enforcement
• Engagement
• Evaluation

Below you will find more information about programs and services the City is working on in pursuit of Vision Zero.