Description: In 1997 the Swedish government committed to a new approach to road safety that focused on design as the central strategy for reducing road deaths and serious injuries to zero. Vision Zero recognizes that humans make mistakes, including on the roads, but rejects the idea that deaths resulting from such mistakes are inherent in modern transport. Vision Zero places primary responsibility for road safety on the people who design and maintain roads, and not on road users. In the 20 years since Vision Zero has been in place, road deaths in Sweden have declined to one of the lowest rates in the world. The transportation system in Sweden looks very different today relative to 1997. Barriers divide opposing traffic on highways making head-on collisions impossible; traffic circles have replaced intersections eliminating dangerous crashes that occur when cars turn left and cross lanes of traffic traveling in the opposite direction; and dedicated space for cyclists and pedestrians is both clearly designated and protected. Many countries (including those in Africa, Asia, and Europe) and states and cities in the United States have adopted Vision Zero initiatives and adapted the approach to account for local culture and context.
With this workshop, we will provide an overview of the Vision Zero efforts underway globally and engage with participants to identify ways in which these principals and practices can be adapted for tribal communities. We will encourage participants to think about the infrastructure in their communities and how design changes to that infrastructure that emphasize safety can yield a transportation infrastructure that prioritizes human health. We will conclude the workshop by strategizing ways to bring this approach into tribal road safety discussions and facilitate change.
Speaker: Shannon Frattaroli
Associate Director for Outreach of the Center for Injury Research and Policy
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Shannon Frattaroli, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where she serves as Associate Director for Outreach of the Center for Injury Research and Policy, and as core faculty with the Center for Gun Policy and Research. At the School, Dr. Frattaroli teaches courses on Public Health Policy Formulation, Policy Communication, and Implementation Research and Practice. Her research focuses on policy strategies designed to prevent injury, with particular attention to how interventions are implemented once in place. Most of Dr. Frattaroli’s work focuses on preventing injuries related to residential fires, motor vehicle crashes, opioid misuse and abuse, and gun violence – particularly firearm-related domestic violence. Dr. Frattaroli is committed to work that advances the translation of findings into policy and practice.