The number of fatalities in traffic in Norway has fallen sharply in recent decades.
The zero vision, the vision of no one killed or seriously injured in road traffic, has been a main goal of transport policy for 20 years.
The National Transport Plan for 2022-2033 continues the ambition of reducing the number of killed and seriously injured in traffic, but for the first time, the government is now setting a separate ambition for reducing the number of fatalities.
– For the first time, the government is setting its own time-bound ambition for a reduction in the number of fatalities as a basis for our work with traffic safety. By 2030, there will be a maximum of 350 killed and seriously injured in traffic, of which a maximum of 50 killed. This means about halving the number of killed compared to 2020. In addition, the government is introducing for the first time a time-bound, long-term ambition that no one will die in road traffic in 2050, says Minister of Transport Knut Arild Hareide.
For the first time under 100 died
2020 marked a milestone for traffic safety in Norway. For the first time in modern times, less than 100 were killed in a calendar year. Since 2013, the number of fatalities in traffic has halved, from 187 to 93 in 2020. Norway has had the fewest fatalities in Europe for several years in a row.
– That we have now left behind a year where less than 100 people died in road traffic in Norway is historic, and testifies that today it is safer on Norwegian roads than ever. At the same time, we know that for all those who have died, there are relatives left who have experienced a great and painful loss. In addition, far too many are seriously and permanently injured. We can not, and should not, accept that so many lose or have their lives destroyed in traffic every year, says Hareide, in a press release.
– Must work for it every day
With the ambitions in the National Transport Plan 2022-2033, the government is getting closer to making the vision a reality. The level of ambition is high, and will require a continued boost in the national traffic safety work. A further reduction in the number of killed and seriously injured becomes increasingly challenging the lower the accident rates.
– Achieving fewer fatalities and serious injuries when driving more and more – and by more – does not happen by itself. We have to work for that every single day. The new National Transport Plan will contribute to efficient and safe mobility. For traffic safety, this means, among other things, a continued focus on targeted traffic safety measures, attitude-creating work, improvement sections, new investments on the road, road user and vehicle measures and operation and maintenance. All this will together contribute to increased traffic safety. People should experience that it is safe to drive on Norwegian roads, says Hareide.
The case was first published by Broom.no
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