Vision zero and other road safety targets

Every year, around 1.3 million people are killed on the road and another 20-50 million are severely injured. This makes road safety one of the most critical global public health issues. To address the negative trend, the international community has responded with the adoption of road safety targets. Sustainable Development Goals 3.6 and 11.2 are two examples. Also at the national level, goals and targets are increasingly used to steer work towards improved road safety. The frequent use of goals and targets in road safety policy makes it interesting to investigate under what conditions the adopted goals can be expected to be achieved. This chapter summarizes the main themes and conclusions of research that have been conducted on goal-setting in road safety policy and management to date. Drawing on previous research, it outlines and discusses a set of criteria that road safety goals should meet in order to be achievement-inducing, that is, have the capacity to guide and induce efforts towards the vision of zero fatalities and serious injuries on the road.