By Paul Karuga Njuguna, Executive Director- Road Safety Awareness Initiative @RSAIKenya
Road safety remains a critical concern in Kenya, where thousands of lives are lost or permanently affected by road traffic crashes every year. Despite various initiatives to curb fatalities and injuries, the numbers remain alarmingly high. To address this challenge, Kenya must adopt innovative, proven strategies that prioritize the safety of all road users. One such solution is the Safe System approach, a transformative road safety strategy pioneered in Sweden and the Netherlands in the 1990s. This approach revolutionized road safety in these countries and offers valuable insights for Kenya.
The Origins of the Safe System Approach
In the 1990s, Sweden and the Netherlands faced challenges similar to Kenya’s, grappling with high road traffic fatalities. Recognizing the unacceptable human and economic costs, these nations sought a paradigm shift in road safety management.
In 1997, Sweden introduced the Vision Zero policy, declaring that no road traffic casualties are ethically acceptable, and the goal should be to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries entirely. Vision Zero recognizes that humans are fallible and prone to errors, especially in complex environments like road traffic. Consequently, this approach emphasizes designing inherently safe systems that prevent serious crashes even when mistakes occur. Vision Zero also highlights shared responsibility among road users, policymakers, and system managers to create a safer transportation system.
Around the same time, the Netherlands introduced its Sustainable Safety program through the Dutch Institute for Road Safety Research. This initiative aimed to design a road system where the environment, vehicles, and human behaviors are interconnected and aligned for safety. It emphasized that road safety should not be left solely to individual responsibility but embedded into traffic management systems to minimize risks.
At the heart of the Safe System approach lies the understanding that mistakes are inevitable but should not result in fatalities. The approach aims to prevent severe crashes through forgiving road designs, safer vehicles, and managed speeds. Unlike traditional road safety strategies, which often blame road users for accidents, the Safe System focuses on proactive measures to address systemic risks, redistributing responsibility among all stakeholders.
Countries such as Australia, Germany, India, Poland, Lithuania, and several cities in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand have embraced this approach, inspired by Sweden and the Netherlands’ success.
Core Pillars and Principles of the Safe System Approach
The Safe System approach is built on five pillars and six key principles, which work together to align human behavior, vehicle design, and road infrastructure for maximum safety.
The Five Pillars:
- Safe Road Users: Prioritizing the safety of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and public transit users.
- Safe Vehicles: Designing and regulating vehicles to minimize collisions’ occurrence and severity, incorporating advanced safety technologies.
- Safe Speeds: Ensuring speed limits align with human tolerance levels to reduce crash impact forces and provide drivers more time to react.
- Safe Roads: Designing roadways that account for human mistakes, such as separating fast-moving traffic from vulnerable road users and providing clear hazard alerts.
- Post-Crash Care: Ensuring timely emergency responses, stabilization of injuries, and effective crash-site management to reduce fatalities and long-term harm.
The Six Key Principles:
- Death and Serious Injury are Unacceptable: The focus is on preventing crashes that lead to severe outcomes.
- Humans Make Mistakes: Systems should be designed to accommodate human errors and reduce their consequences.
- Humans are Vulnerable: Road systems must consider the physical limits of human bodies to tolerate crash forces.
- Responsibility is Shared: All stakeholders—including road users, policymakers, and vehicle manufacturers—must work together to ensure safety.
- Safety is Proactive: Risks should be addressed before crashes occur, rather than reacting afterward.
- Redundancy is Crucial: Strengthening all parts of the system ensures protection even if one component fails.
Countries like Sweden have achieved remarkable results with this approach, boasting some of the lowest road fatality rates globally.
Lessons for Kenya
Kenya can draw valuable lessons from Sweden and the Netherlands to improve road safety. Key focus areas include:
- Improved Infrastructure Design: Redesigning roads to separate high-speed traffic from vulnerable users such as pedestrians and cyclists. For instance, the Netherlands’ cycle-friendly infrastructure has significantly reduced cyclist fatalities.
- Speed Management: Implementing and enforcing speed limits digitally with measures like speed bumps, roundabouts, and clear signage to protect all road users.
- Policy and Legislation: Adopting policies like Vision Zero to prioritize safety over convenience. This could include stricter vehicle safety regulations and mandatory use of seat belts and good quality helmets.
- Public Awareness and Education: Running campaigns to educate road users about shared responsibility and strict enforcement to deter dangerous behaviors such as drunk and distracted driving etc
- Data-Driven Decisions: Using crash and injury data to identify high-risk areas and prioritize interventions. The establishment of the Kenya Transport Accident Investigation Bureau (KTAIB) will be pivotal in this effort.
A Call to Action
Adopting the Safe System approach in Kenya requires bold leadership and collaboration across government, private sector, and civil society. As Kenya expands its infrastructure, special attention must be paid to urban areas with high fatalities due to inadequate sidewalks and unsafe pedestrian crossings. Policies integrating the Safe System approach into urban planning can address these issues by improving infrastructure and minimizing exposure to crash forces. For example, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems can enhance safety by providing dedicated lanes, safe pedestrian crossings, and reduced traffic conflicts.
In rural areas, where fatalities are also rising, tailored road safety measures are essential. Active road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, face increased risks due to high vehicle speeds and a lack of facilities. Poorly designed roads disproportionately affect rural communities, leading to economic hardship and loss of education and employment opportunities due to road injuries. Investing in safer rural infrastructure can significantly reduce these disparities.
The Safe System approach is not new to Kenya; it is a key focus of the National Road Safety Action Plan (2024–2028), launched on April 17, 2024. Its successful implementation could be a turning point for Kenya, helping to create a road system where every life matters.
By learning from global pioneers like Sweden and the Netherlands, Kenya can commit to making its roads safer for generations to come. Let us act decisively to protect all road users and embrace a future where no one has to fear injury or death on Kenyan roads.