The Zero Vision and Traffic Safety

The Vision Zero is the foundation for all traffic safety work in Norway. It states that it is ethically unacceptable for people to be killed or permanently injured in traffic. For the Class B theory test, you must understand what Vision Zero entails and how it affects your responsibility as a driver.

What is Vision Zero?

Vision Zero is not a goal of zero accidents, but that no accidents should have fatal or very serious outcomes. The idea is that:

• Humans make mistakes, and the road system must tolerate them
• Responsibility is shared between road users and authorities
• Roads, vehicles, and regulations should be designed so that human errors do not have fatal consequences

Shared Responsibility

As a driver, you are responsible for driving within your own skills and the conditions. Authorities cannot compensate for deliberate risk-taking.

Measures Arising from Vision Zero

Many of the rules you learn for the theory test come directly from Vision Zero:

• Speed limits are set based on what the human body can tolerate. In areas with pedestrians , the limit is low because speed determines the outcome .
• Central barriers on rural roads prevent the deadliest accidents: head-on collisions.
• Roundabouts replace four-way intersections because they reduce speed and eliminate right-angle collisions.
• Mandatory seatbelts and airbags significantly reduce the extent of injuries.
• Blood alcohol limit at 0.2 and strict rules for substances and medication .

Norway in an International Perspective

Norway is among the safest countries in the world for traffic. The number of fatalities has fallen from over 500 per year in the 1970s to under 100 in recent times. Yet, according to Vision Zero, every single fatal accident is one too many.

What Does Vision Zero Mean for You?

• Drive defensively. Defensive driving is the practical application of Vision Zero.
• Respect speed limits. They are not arbitrary, but based on what the body can tolerate.
• Pay special attention to vulnerable road users who lack protection.
• Always wear a seatbelt, drive sober, and stay attentive.

Vision Zero is not unrealistic idealism. It is a commitment to making the traffic system safer for every single user.

Further Reading

• Speed and consequences
• Defensive driving
• Understanding traffic risk
• Seatbelt and airbag
• First aid in traffic accidents