Vision Zero Pedestrian Education Campaigns (Multiple Cities)
Vision Zero, originating in Sweden (1997), is a road safety strategy aiming to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Education is a core pillar alongside engineering and enforcement. Philadelphia's "We Meet in the Street" campaign uses micro-storytelling with images of pedestrians from driver's perspective to humanize vulnerable road users and counter dehumanization. Arlington County's Public Education Toolbox provides specific guidance for drivers (stop for pedestrians, check blind spots) and pedestrians (cross at crosswalks, look left-right-left). Safe Routes Philly teaches transportation safety lessons to youth. Key messaging emphasizes that 76% of pedestrian fatalities occur in dark conditions. The initiative has been adopted by cities worldwide including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Theme Areas
Behavior Goal
Eliminate traffic fatalities (not just reduce); create shared responsibility between system designers and road users; humanize vulnerable road users in driver consciousness
Target Audiences
Methods & Approaches
Implementers & Partners
- City governments
- Vision Zero Network
- Local NGOs
Donors & Sponsors
- City governments
- Philanthropic foundations
Key Takeaways
- 1Ethical frame: no traffic death is acceptable, not just "inevitable"
- 2Shared responsibility: system designers equally responsible with road users
- 3Micro-storytelling humanizes pedestrians to counter driver dehumanization
- 476% of pedestrian fatalities in dark conditions - visibility key focus
- 5City-level adoption creates political accountability for outcomes