Citation

Löken P. Proc. Road Saf. Four Continents Conf. 2007; 14: 10p.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Conference Sponsor)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The drivers of vehicles on the roads want freedom from accidents. Quite some number of the same drivers want as well freedom to speed, acceleration, enjoyment and excitement on the roads. In a number of areas in the society stringent ethical norms are established. For the road traffic, however, we find no ethical norms. The basic evaluation ends in a conclusion that we can not obtain both freedom to auto enjoyment as well as freedom from road traffic accidents. We have to select the one of the two. If the society change the priority and set freedom from accidents as the first priority, the auto enjoyment on the public roads will have to be taken away. The driving of cars would then be limited to the main purpose to move from A to B. The clear advantage of keeping the freedom To, away from the public roads are the added freedom From for the rest of us. Safe traffic may be analyzed from three angles which all together have to be safe to get a safe traffic. These are safe vehicles on safe roads with careful drivers. If all these three items are safe, the chances for a safe journey are rather good. If one of the factors is not good, the journey may not be safe. The vehicles are improved in the task to protect the people inside against injuries in the case of an accident. The safest roads have at least two lanes in each direction with a solid barrier in between. In Sweden a 2+1 lane system has been taken in use over the last years. Between the two directions a strong mid barrier is installed. This design prevents the damaging head-on collisions by one car coming over in the wrong lane. Seen from a safe traffic point of view, the drivers are the main important item. If the drivers are careful and responsible, even lack of safety connected to the car or the road can be compensated. If the driver goes for speed and enjoyment on the road, this may end in accidents even if the car and road are perfect. The drivers are therefore the key element in a strategy towards safe traffic. From a technical point of view the vehicles may be equipped with a black box, knowing exactly where the car is at any time using the GPS system. This means that the car may know the speed limit at the road. The navigation box may include a verbal speed informing system, a high speed preventer and a data logger writing speed data. Zero vision is a long term aim to avoid any killed or seriously injured in the road traffic. Is it possible at all to keep the freedom to speed and enjoyment and at the same time approach zero accidents? The zero vision is by definition close to impossible. If this impossible aim shall have any chance to succeed, this mean that the freedom From accidents have to get the first priority.