Vision Zero in EU Policy: An NGO Perspective

Townsend, Ellen; Avenoso, Antonio · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-76505-7_16

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Summary

This chapter, authored by representatives of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), documents the historical integration of the "Vision Zero" philosophy into European Union road safety policymaking from the mid-1980s to the present. The authors analyze how EU policy evolved from early legislative attempts to the formal adoption of Vision Zero principles, specifically examining the roles of ethics, shared responsibility, error-absorbing system design, and mechanisms for change. The text serves as a retrospective analysis from an NGO perspective, tracing the influence of civil society and institutional dynamics on the development of EU road safety strategies. The analysis relies on a review of EU official documents, ETSC reports, and institutional experience spanning decades. It categorizes the evolution of policy into distinct periods: the foundational era (1984–2000), the introduction of numerical targets (2001–2010), and the formal adoption of Vision Zero (2011 onward). The authors examine the EU’s decision-making framework, including the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the ordinary legislative procedure, and the cyclical nature of policymaking involving strategies, directives, and regulations. Key milestones include the 1993 first EU Road Safety Action Program, the 2001 White Paper which set a target to halve road deaths by 2010, and the 2011 Transport White Paper which explicitly endorsed Vision Zero. The text also highlights the "Verona Process," a series of ministerial meetings that fostered political commitment, and the European Parliament’s early calls for a zero-casualty vision. The findings indicate that while the EU initially lacked a cohesive safety philosophy, it gradually incorporated the four key elements of Vision Zero. By 2003, the Third Road Safety Action Program reflected shared responsibility and the philosophy that systems must absorb human error. The 2011 Transport White Paper marked a breakthrough, formally integrating Vision Zero into EU strategy. Subsequent policies, including the Valletta Declaration and the 2021–2030 Road Safety Action Plan, reinforced these principles by adopting serious injury targets and emphasizing the "Safe System" approach. Recent legislative implementations, such as the General Safety Regulation for vehicles and the Infrastructure Safety Directive, demonstrate the practical application of these concepts. The authors note that while the EU has achieved significant reductions in fatalities, the full realization of Vision Zero requires continued alignment of ethics, governance, and technical standards. The significance of this work lies in its detailed mapping of how a specific safety philosophy was institutionalized within a complex supranational framework. It highlights the critical role of NGOs like ETSC in advocating for ambitious targets and systemic changes. The chapter concludes that while the EU has successfully embedded Vision Zero elements into its legal and strategic architecture, delivering on the promise of zero fatalities and serious injuries requires sustained political will, rigorous implementation of safety standards, and a continued focus on the ethical imperative that human life should not be traded for mobility.

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• traffic safety culture