Safety is our shared responsibility
Everyone deserves to walk, bike and roll safely on our roadways and enjoy the benefits of cycling for transportation, health and recreation.
Principles of a Safe System Approach:
This is a circular diagram about the Safe System Approach. On the circumference is a band with six safe system principles: Death and serious injuries are unacceptable, humans make mistakes, humans are vulnerable, responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial. Inside this, the circle is divided into five sections with logos representing each section: Safer vehicles, safer speeds, safer roads, post-crash care, and safer people.A Safe System Approach incorporates the following principles:
Death and Serious Injuries are Unacceptable
A Safe System Approach prioritizes the elimination of crashes that result in death and serious injuries.
Humans Make Mistakes
People will inevitably make mistakes and decisions that can lead or contribute to crashes, but the transportation system can be designed and operated to accommodate certain types and levels of human mistakes, and avoid death and serious injuries when a crash occurs.
Humans Are Vulnerable
Human bodies have physical limits for tolerating crash forces before death or serious injury occurs; therefore, it is critical to design and operate a transportation system that is human-centric and accommodates physical human vulnerabilities.
Responsibility is Shared
All stakeholders—including government at all levels, industry, non-profit/advocacy, researchers, and the general public—are vital to preventing fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.
Safety is Proactive
Proactive tools should be used to identify and address safety issues in the transportation system, rather than waiting for crashes to occur and reacting afterwards.
Redundancy is Crucial
Reducing risks requires that all parts of the transportation system be strengthened, so that if one part fails, the other parts still protect people.