Safety as an imperative

In January Intertraffic spoke with Acusensus’ managing director Alex Jannink about the Vision Zero Imperative, and the inspiration behind the Summit presentation that looked at global programs driving sustainable behaviour change.

In the capable hands of his colleague, the company’s Chief Customer Officer Duncan Murcott, the presentation highlighted the perils of distracted driving and how Acusensus' innovative, rapidly deployable solutions directly address three of the Fatal Five behaviours – illegal mobile phone use, speeding and seatbelt non-compliance.

Through the pursuit of excellence and collaborative efforts with governments and road safety organisations, Acusensus, said Murcott, is achieving measurable reductions in road fatalities in the jurisdictions where the technology has been deployed. But of equal importance is the tone and timing of the message.

Murcott showed still images that showed one driver behind the wheel holding a bottle of beer, while another stared intently at his mobile phone, balanced precariously on his thigh (the vast majority of crashes that involve mobile phone use have occurred while the phone is resting on the driver’s leg, not while it’s held to the ear)… while in a third horrifying image a female front-seat passenger was shown holding a baby, with both unrestrained by a seat belt.

A bumpy road to vision zero it may be, but all the technology in the world isn’t help people who decide that in-car safety systems aren’t for them. Or will it?

If intelligent enforcement technology really does have the power to make the roads safer, then stories and images of the impact distracted driving can have on families are surely one way of getting the message across to those who need to hear it. It’s a telling phrase – sustainable behaviour change. It’s not enough for a driver to reduce their speed or put their phone down once (and when they are told to), it has to become a habit.

Governments. local authorities and police forces are waking up to the realities of Vision Zero. Talking about it doesn’t save lives, deploying it does. Murcott alluded to a forthcoming announcement from a UK police force that would underline the objectives – zero deaths on the road. It’s not only possible, it’s imperative.