Safe System
Understanding the Safe System in Road Safety
All the work conducted by Vision Zero South West is grounded in the Safe System.
The Safe System is an internationally recognised approach to road safety management which is built around two basic facts:
- People make mistakes and will make mistakes when on the roads
- People are vulnerable to being killed or seriously injured if they are involved in a collision
The System comprises five pillars of the road environment which must work together to minimise risk, which you can see in the diagram.
Safe System in Action
All these elements need to work together to help prevent collisions – or, if a collision does occur, to prevent death or serious injury.
Another key part of the Safe System approach is that responsibility for safety is shared by everyone.
Policy makers, planners, engineers, vehicle manufacturers, fleet managers, enforcement officers, road safety educators, health agencies and the media are accountable for the system’s safety – while every road user, whether they drive, cycle or walk, is responsible for complying with the system’s rules.
Here’s a short video from the road safety charity Brake which explains the Safe System in basic terms.
the Safe System pillars
The Vision Zero South West road safety partnership works collaboratively to approach each of the Safe System pillars:
Safe Roads:
We work with the local highway authorities across Devon & Cornwall – as well as National Highways – all of whom are members of the Vision Zero South West partnership. You can find out more about the work each authority is conducting by visiting our Roads page.
Safe Road Users:
All our partners are passionate about educating road users to ensure they are as safe as possible. Whether it’s bitesize advice on social media, practical training courses or detailed behaviour change campaigns, we are committed to making all road users the very best they can be. For more information, please visit our Training & Development page.
Safe Speeds:
We work closely with Devon & Cornwall Police – as well as the local highway authorities – to promote safe speeds across the region. You can find out more about this work by visiting the Devon & Cornwall Police’s Road Safety Team page or by following their helpful Facebook page.
Safe Vehicles:
Vision Zero South West promotes the use of ADAS systems in vehicles and is actively lobbying the Government to introduce important changes in this area. You can find out more about this by visiting our Road To Zero page.
Post-Crash Response
We are extremely fortunate to have a board member who is an expert in this field – Dr Tim Nutbeam, consultant in Emergency Medicine and Prehospital Critical Care at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Devon Air Ambulance. Find out more about this work by visiting our dedicated Post-Crash Care page.