The National Safety Council (NSC), in America, has welcomed the ‘reducing traffic fatalities to zero by 2050’ resolution which has been introduced to the US Senate and House of Representatives.
Road deaths have been a leading killer in the United States for decades. NSC estimates 42,060 people lost their lives in motor vehicle incidents in 2020 – the highest in more than a decade.
As outlined in the resolution, NSC calls on federal policymakers to take several actions to reach the goal of zero deaths on the roads by 2050, including:
- Committing to the advancement of policies that will end these fatalities – such as prioritizing safety of all roadway users in infrastructure design by clearly marking lanes for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles, installing rumble strips, utilizing traffic circles, and more and advancing safety technology
- Setting a goal of zero traffic fatalities at the Department of Transportation to govern decision making
- Recognizing the need for a safe systems approach in United States transportation – including improving access, safety and mobility for all roadway users
- Changing how we talk about these deaths by calling them “crashes” not “accidents”
