Tuesday 27 April 2010

Vision Zero?

Are you aware of Vision Zero?

It's an ambitious - many would say unrealistic, impossible even - ideal, of reducing road deaths to zero. It gained momentum in Sweden, and has been picked up over the last few years across the world.

One 'problem', through, is that motorcycles sit very uneasily into the ideal, as it heavily features 'safer roads' and 'safer vehicles', while motorcyclist deaths usually feature 'unsafe riders' . . .

However, here's a list from iRAP, of ways motorcycling could be made safer.

http://toolkit.irap.org/default.asp?page=roaduser&id=6

In many countries, motorcycles are a popular form of transport. Motorcycles are relatively cheap compared to other forms of motorised vehicles, and provide mobility to millions of people worldwide.
However, unlike other forms of motorised transport, there is very little protection for motorcycle riders and passengers. When crashes do occur, they often have very severe consequences, especially at higher speeds or in situations where larger vehicles are involved. The chance of a motorcycle rider or passenger surviving a collision with a car is greatly reduced at speeds over 30 km/h.

Even in countries where motorcycles form only a small part of traffic, motorcycle casualties can form a significant part of the crash problem, and the risk of injury or death is many times greater for motorcyclists than for other forms of transport.

In many low and middle-income countries motorcycles are a major means of transport and their requirements should be reflected in road design and traffic management measures. In high-income countries motorcycling is often a more minor transport mode but also a significant leisure pursuit, and the two groups of motorcyclists present very different risks and require different countermeasures to improve their safety.



The page goes on to detail about 20 'treatments' and their potential for casualty reduction.


Now, if you haven't already Googled 'vision zero', as soon as you have search for 'risk compensation' too . . .


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