Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership underlines its commitment to road safety and Vision Zero

Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership (WSRSP) has reaffirmed its commitment to Vision Zero, a bold and transformative approach to road safety that aims to eliminate all fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.

Vision Zero is a global road safety philosophy that originated in Sweden and the Netherlands. It is built on the principle that no level of fatal or serious injury on the roads is acceptable. But rather than focusing solely on preventing collisions, Vision Zero seeks to ensure that if collisions occur, they do not result in death or life-changing injuries. It acknowledges human error as inevitable and looks to design transport systems to help minimise harm.

Vision Zero uses the Safe System methodology to ensure that mistakes do not lead to collisions, and if a collision does occur, it is sufficiently controlled to prevent death or life-changing injuries.

The Safe System approach is structured around five pillars: safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, safe road users, and post-collision response. Different members of the WSRSP are responsible for different elements of these pillars. Together, they help reduce collisions and, crucially, minimise harm.

To help achieve this, the WSRSP is working on a range of measures across Wiltshire and Swindon, including improving road design and maintenance, upgrading roadside infrastructure, and creating safer spaces for walking and cycling. Measures to manage speed through better highway planning, appropriate speed limits, and driver education are also a key part of the approach.

As well as improvements to road engineering, the partnership is also focusing on safer road users and vehicles. This involves education and training, addressing impairment and offending behaviour, and promoting the responsible use of driver assistance technologies.

Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways at Wiltshire Council, said: “Wiltshire Council is proud to be a key member of the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership, working together towards the ambitious Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.

“These changes won’t happen overnight, but by combining our efforts across all partners, we can make a real difference. We know that we can’t eliminate collisions completely, but we can minimise the harm they cause, and that’s what all partners are working towards. 

“Road safety is the shared responsibility of everyone who designs, builds, manages and indeed uses roads and vehicles – it requires collaboration, innovation, and commitment from everyone. Together we are building a safer transport system for all, to reduce road harm and create safer communities across Wiltshire and Swindon.”

Perry Payne, of the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership, said: “The government has recently published its new road safety strategy and whilst there is no direct mention of Vision Zero, they have set goals to reduce road death and serious injury by 65% by 2035 (70% in children under 16), and the strategy aligns with the five key principles which form Vision Zero. 

"The Safe System methodology used by Vision Zero, is structured around five pillars: safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, safe road users, and post-collision response. At the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership, different members lead on the different elements of these pillars and by working together, they help make Wiltshire and Swindon safer by reducing collisions, improving driver behaviour and, crucially, minimising harm.

"We believe it's right that we should have a vision where nobody is killed or seriously injured on our roads and through better highway planning, improved driver education and effective enforcement, we welcome Wiltshire Council's commitment to road safety.”