The authorities have a zero vision in traffic, i.e. that no one should die on Norwegian roads. In 2023, 118 people were killed in traffic accidents. There are “only” two more than the previous year, but the Swedish Road Administration still sees a development they do not like. – Although we are roughly at the same level as in 2022, the number is higher than those we had before the pandemic, where we had lower numbers. It feels uncomfortable and it worries us, says Guro Ranes, department director for traffic safety in the Swedish Road Administration. Guro Ranes in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration believes we need more attitude campaigns in Norway. Photo: The Swedish Road Administration The screen challenge All the 2023 accidents have not yet been investigated, but the Swedish Road Administration sees that a large proportion of them are due to the driver being distracted by, for example, the mobile phone or the integrated screen in the car. – We analyze all fatal accidents in depth, and on the basis of that experience we know that around a third of fatal accidents have, to one degree or another, been a contributing factor to what went wrong, says Ranes. – How problematic is it that cars are becoming more and more technologically equipped? – New and modern cars basically have higher built-in security than older cars, but they also have more digital systems. Some of the functions that have been moved to a touchscreen make you take your eyes off the road. And that is not desirable. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration believes that more work needs to be done on how these functions should be designed. Maybe not everything should be on a touch screen. – There may be a better solution with a button you have to turn, or voice-controlled solutions. 560 died in 1970 In 2002, the Storting adopted the so-called zero vision, which was about no one being killed or seriously injured in traffic. In 1970, 560 people died in traffic accidents on Norwegian roads. In recent years, the number has been around 100. It was slightly lower during the pandemic, before the graphs have risen again in the last couple of years. – Is it possible to reach the zero vision goal? – We work according to the zero vision. It is not a goal in the traditional sense, it is a vision. It says something about an image and a desired future. Having that zero vision gives great power and direction in the road safety work, and has helped make our road safety among the very best in the world, says Ranes. – Why aren’t the numbers going down? – There can be many different explanations for that. Part of the reason is that we in Norway have worked systematically and based on knowledge for many years. This means that many of the simplest and cheapest measures have already been used, and then it will be demanding to take the next step to get further down towards zero. In the National Transport Plan for 2022–2033, a stage target has been set for the development, and the ambition is that there will be a maximum of 350 killed and seriously injured in 2030. A football field in a few seconds – Immediately you have to take your eyes off the road to be sure you hit the right place on the touch screen, then the attention will be somewhere else than where it should be. You should not look away for many seconds before you have driven a stretch of 100 metres, i.e. almost a football pitch. – Are you working on what this design is like? Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård is concerned. Photo: Olav Juven / news – When it comes to the regulations and how the cars are designed, little Norway does not have much influence. But what we can do here at home is that we run awareness campaigns. Driving is the only thing you have to do when you are a road user. If you have a passenger with you, it’s a good idea to let someone else handle what’s happening on the screen, says Guro Ranes in the Swedish Road Administration. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård is also concerned about the figures. – The development of the last two years is disturbing, and it shows that we still have a long way to go to achieve our goals with the zero vision. In 2024, we must intensify efforts in road safety work, says Nygård.
ttn-69
Technology contributes to more accidents: – It feels uncomfortable
