Despite large investments in safer vehicles, roads and traffic safety programs, traffic accidents continue to impose huge costs to individuals and society. New approaches are needed to achieve ambitious traffic safety targets such as Vision Zero. A new traffic safety paradigm is changing how planning professionals evaluate traffic risks and potential safety strategies. The old paradigm assumes that motor vehicle travel is overall very safe, and so applies targeted strategies to reduce specific risks. The new paradigm recognizes that all vehicle travel imposes risks, so planning decisions that increase vehicle travel tend to increase crashes, and vehicle travel reductions tend to increase safety. It also recognizes that it is infeasible to reduce high-risk driving without providing viable alternatives. The new paradigm expands the range of potential traffic safety strategies to include more multi-modal planning, transportation demand management, and Smart Growth policies. Of sixteen traffic safety programs reviewed only four consider these new strategies. (Author/publisher)
Abstract