As we’d like it: Vision Zero reached by working together


By Margaret Winchcomb, Deputy Executive Director, PACTS

Taking a snapshot of one day, how would you describe yourself? Maybe in a few different ways through the hours: perhaps caregiver at home in the morning, student learning in a midday webinar, leader in the afternoon while working with a colleague who is navigating a new task.

Each of those different ‘yous’ bring a variety of skills and abilities, as well as needs and vulnerabilities. Of course, you’re still you, every minute, but you take on a spectrum of different forms, and each experience builds the person you are.

In the same way that your many facets make one ‘you’, so a community is made up of the kaleidoscope of life: young, old, employed, volunteer, leader, student, those who are able and those who benefit from a helping hand. Community in its widest sense means people, in all their glorious variations, together in a collective endeavour. 

Transferring that idea to the world of road safety, there is such a breadth of skills needed. We can’t each manage transport planning, and design roads, and build vehicles, and carry out enforcement and respond to fatal collisions (in the unfortunate situations when they do occur) all simultaneously. 

Many roles, one community

However, we all share one collective endeavour: that each journey, once started, successfully transfers someone, without serious harm, to their destination. We hold a shared responsibility while carrying out our own unique, essential role. We can’t do anything alone; we need our ‘community’ to carry the responsibility with us.

That power of shared responsibility is key to delivering the Safe System. It takes confident leaders to use their position of influence to call for a change to the status quo, enabling policies to be revised and interventions to be changed. They can’t do everything themselves, but their passion for the cause motivates others to join in and give their all.

The Co-Pilot Community is a place where that passion is palpable across the range of expertise and professions which contribute to the road safety sector.

In any one visit to the site I can find myself learning from specialists on a particular topic in a ‘Masterclass’, then popping in a suggestion in the ‘Help and request’ chat space, while also connecting with someone new who’s ‘Say hello’ profile shows they have skills I was missing from a new project. Making that connection means a stronger team is built.

Shared goals, stronger together

At any one time when we’re working towards the goal of ending the tragedy on the streets, each one of us will be a player within different teams. Every exit and entrance we make to a project does not stop there in the workplace. Instead, we have the privilege of being part of the Safe System throughout our day.

Experience of pushing a relative on wheels, as we might have had in the morning, means we know our responsibility for considering people of all abilities when we’re designing an intervention sat at our desk. Community is stronger for its many parts and roads safer for the responsibility each we take in the different roles we play.

To find out how to join Margaret and others working together as part of the Vision Zero Community, click here.