The Municipality of Tel Aviv joins the international project “Vision Zero” to reduce and prevent the carnage on the city’s roads, and will prepare for its implementation during the coming year. The plan, which was first adopted in Sweden 25 years ago, focuses on systemic planning of the public space to reduce risks of driver mistakes and traffic accidents caused by them. A dedicated municipal team will assist in implementing the plan and its management – first in two streets in the city and later in other areas.
The essence of the “Zero Vision” program is the prevention of fatal accident scenarios in advance by allocating resources to planning and improving the infrastructure, in contrast to the traditional approach to accident prevention that emphasizes changing the behavior of the human factor through legislation and advocacy. The systemic safety approach, on which the program is based, assumes that people are imperfect and prone to mistakes. Therefore the conditions for their formation must be prepared and prevented in advance. For example – by separating lanes on two-lane roads to prevent head-on accidents or speed limits depending on the road infrastructure.
The decision to join the project, led by the deputy mayor and holder of the transport portfolio, Mittal Lehbi, stemmed from the road situation at the end of 2021, a year that ended with 20 deaths and 211 seriously injured in 223 serious traffic accidents.
Every day a pedestrian is injured in Tel Aviv
The Or Yarok Association recently checked the number of pedestrians injured in cities with a population greater than 50,000 between 2017-2021. Tel Aviv led the ranking with approximately 370 injured pedestrians yearly – an average of one pedestrian per day. The following places are the cities of Bat Yam, Afula, Ramat Gan and Hadera.
Attorney Yaniv Ya’akov, CEO of the Or Yarok Association, commented on the data: “It is dangerous to walk in Israeli cities. Pedestrians have become the weakest population in the chain, especially among children and senior citizens. The mayors must map the weak points and the ‘red’ streets where most pedestrians are injured and care for those centers.”
Every other day a cyclist is injured in Tel Aviv
In 2022, 10 cyclists across the country were killed, and 178 were injured, 69 seriously. 88% of all wounded riders were involved in accidents in cities and towns. Around 1,100 km of bicycle paths have been paved throughout Israel so far, and although 15% of them are in Tel Aviv, the number of cyclists injured in the city is the highest in the country. For example, 663 cyclists were injured in Tel Aviv in the last decade, of which 12 were killed. This figure is four times greater than that recorded in Jerusalem, whose population is more significant than that of Tel Aviv; in 2022, 53 riders were injured in Tel Aviv and one rider was killed, while in Jerusalem a total of eight riders were injured.
SAVERONE system – prevention in advance is the way
The Tel Aviv Municipality has learned to understand that information and legislation are not enough to fight traffic accidents, and “Vision Zero” seeks to take responsibility for improving the public space and making it safer for everyone. But just as it is crucial to improve the infrastructure outside the vehicle, it is necessary to act to improve the concentration and driving abilities of those inside the car, namely, the permit, by neutralizing the leading cause of distraction in driving today – the mobile phone.
Neutralizing the mobile phone while driving is exactly what the SAVERONE system does. Taking away the ability of the driver to use distracting apps while driving, ensures that his concentration will not be distracted from what is essential – what is happening on the road. We believe that integrating our smart system in heavy vehicles and large vehicle fleets, together with projects such as “Vision Zero”, will pave the way for significantly reducing the scope (and severity) of traffic accidents on the streets of Israel.
