Safety research supporting Vision Zero Safety research supporting Vision Zero

At Auckland Transport, we work towards a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries by using research, data and evidence that supports Vision Zero, the international benchmark for transport safety.

This ethics-based approach has been successful in other countries, having originated in Sweden, where roads are built to prioritise safety over speed or convenience. Also known as the Safe System approach, this model emphasises that road safety is the shared responsibility of transportation system designers and road users.

Vision Zero values everyone using the road, not just those in vehicles. It’s about caring for our more vulnerable road users, like children, the elderly, and people walking or cycling.

This page summarises and links to transport safety research we’ve conducted to better understand the views of Aucklanders so we can factor it into our decision-making. 

Customer research

Three in 4 Auckland residents agree that when there is a known risk, action should be taken to make roads safer before a serious injury or death occurs. Almost 3 in 4 also agree that roads should be designed to minimise serious harm when a driver makes a mistake.

When people are informed about the decrease in deaths and serious injuries on roads where speed limits have been reduced, support for speed limit reductions increases to 61% and opposition decreases.

To learn more, download Attitudes to speed reductions 2024 (PDF 423KB).

People travelling outside of vehicles

More than half of deaths and serious injuries in Auckland involve someone walking, cycling or motorcycling. This research uses Ministry of Health data on overnight hospitalisation to provide a more complete picture of road harm for people travelling outside of vehicles.

To learn more, download Safety of people travelling outside of vehicles (PDF 2.67MB).

Pedestrian crossing improvements

In 2018 and 2019, we upgraded 37 existing pedestrian crossings to raised zebra crossings as part of a demonstration project. Evaluation of the project showed a reduction in serious and fatal crashes from 2.4 to 0.4 per year.

To learn more, see the article Auckland Transport’s mass action pedestrian improvement programme, published in the Journal of Road Safety.