In an international perspective, Sweden has been successful in its traffic safety work. Traffic safety issues were given central importance in traffic policy at an early date. To an increasing extent, they have been gradually integrated not only into traffic policy but also operational work on the design of the road traffic system. Sweden has a very ambitious goal for traffic safety, which has been given a new platform through the launch of the vision zero concept. As a result of the vision zero concept, new players have become involved in the work to create a safe road transport system. These players, the system designers, have been given a clear role and their own responsibility. They are public and private bodies which are responsible for the design and operation of the road traffic system, for instance infrastructure, vehicles and transport services. In recent years, concrete and effective work has been developed between different players with a view to improve traffic safety. This work also comprises the traffic surveillance of the police. The Swedish Road Administration has the overarching responsibility for traffic safety and is in charge of the work. A recently established independent inspectorate within the administration monitors and evaluates the various inputs. Work for greater traffic safety is performed on a broad front. It comprises cost effective inputs for a safer infrastructure, for instance by separating traffic streams on an increasing number of roads. The focus on measures to reduce speeds is also an important part of traffic safety work, and work on these measures is performed in cooperation with the police and others. Road user behaviour has received attention, especially in recent years, and is of critical importance for success. Legislation, surveillance, new intelligent technology in vehicles and cooperation with voluntary organisations are important parts of the work. Research concerning traffic safety has played an important part in the development of a safe road system in Sweden. Research has at all times been carried on in close cooperation among different groups of researchers and the concrete traffic safety work. Important research programmes are financed jointly by the state and the Swedish automotive industry. Owing to the vision zero concept, new measures and methods have been implemented in Swedish traffic safety work, resulting in greater cooperation among players. In spite of a steep rise in traffic in Sweden in recent years, the risk of being killed in traffic has not increased but rather decreased, especially on the municipal road network (A). For the covering abstract of the conference see E217780.
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