Sweden, 1997. The Swedish Parliament approves the ‘Vision Zero’ and makes it official government policy. Essentially, Vision Zero aims at achieving a highway system with no fatalities or serious injuries involving road traffic. A core principle of the vision is that 'Life and health can never be exchanged for other benefits within the society' rather than the more conventional comparison between costs and benefits, where a monetary value is placed on life and health.

Clara Vadillo Quesada, in charge of the road safety strategy of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy Mexico, leads the “Vision Zero for youth” in Mexico City, in order to strengthen the first Vision Zero strategy adopted in a city of the developing world. With 16,000 annual road casualties Mexico still has a long way to go. The strategy emphasizes the improvement of road safety data at the city-level and leading infrastructure interventions in school areas. “Children are the most vulnerable road users, we have to give them our prior attention.”

Sweden, 2017: The Swedish Traffic Safety Council for Active and Sustainable Mobility launches the campaign ‘Moving beyond Vision Zero. The campaign, presented by Lars Strömgren, ECF Vice-President from Sweden, aims to encourage traffic planners and transport decision makers around the world to improve upon the 20-year-old campaign “Vision Zero” by factoring in the health benefits of active transport. “While Vision Zero has its merits in improving road safety conditions around the world, sustainability mobility campaigners think it misses the potential health benefits of promoting active forms of transport”, Strömgren said. The socioeconomic models that dictate our infrastructure investments must begin to take into account illness prevention and increased life quality provided by active mobility. A new goal should lead to traffic that saves lives and improves quality of life in addition to reducing traffic fatalities and injuries by promoting active mobility in the form of cycling and walking.

More about the Moving Beyond Vision Zero campaign: http://movingbeyondzero.com/moving-beyond-vision-zero/