“Wherever I go in Devon and Cornwall, residents always talk to me about road safety. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a city, town, village or tiny hamlet, road safety affects us all – and that is why I have made it a personal priority since taking office.
“We set up the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership back in 2019 – Our vision is for Devon & Cornwall’s road network to be free of death and serious injury.
“We have set ourselves the ambitious target of cutting the number of people killed or serious injured (KSI) by 50% by 2030 – and eventually, to zero.
“All members of our partnership – including the emergency services, NHS Trusts, councils, air ambulance charities and National Highways – have committed to this target.
“We have already made some great progress. The number of KSI collisions in our area has reduced year-on-year for the past four years and currently stands at an historic low.
“While we are obviously delighted to see this significant decrease, there is still a lot of work to do.
“We must never forget what these numbers represent. These are real people killed in tragic and traumatic circumstances – loved ones and family members, parents and children, brothers, sisters and friends.
“Working in partnership has been absolutely key to every success we’ve had and I look forward to continuing this work with our partners in the future.”
About Vision Zero
Vision Zero is led by a partnership board which includes a wide range of experts from all around the South West including senior police and fire officers, leading clinicians and councillors.
Vision Zero’s partners include:
- Devon & Cornwall Police
- Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
- Cornwall Council
- Devon County Council
- Plymouth City Council
- Torbay Council
- The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
- National Highways
- NHS University Hospitals Plymouth Trust
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
- South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
- Cornwall Air Ambulance
- Devon Air Ambulance
- Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS)
- TTC
What sort of things does Vision Zero South West fund?
Vision Zero South West is focussed on reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on Devon and Cornwall’s roads. The partnership funds a wide variety of projects and campaigns which share this aim.
Here are some examples of things Vision Zero South West has recently supported financially:
- IMPACT: The Centre for Post-Collision Research, Innovation and Translation – which conducts groundbreaking research right here in the South West
- The partnership has funded additional caseworkers to be employed within Brake’s Road Victim Service here in Devon & Cornwall
- Learn2Live – A theatre-based road safety intervention delivered to thousands of college-aged students throughout Devon and Cornwall each year
- Pedestrian safety training in primary schools throughout the region, such as the Walkability Program
- Subsidised advanced training courses for young drivers and motorcyclists
- Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) for communities who applied for funding through our ‘Call For Ideas’ initiative
- The purchase of a Ford Focus RS car to promote road safety to younger car enthusiasts
- Targeted road safety advertising and publicity campaigns
- Cycle and motorcycle roadside warning signage
For more information visit www.visionzerosouthwest.co.uk. You can also follow Vision Zero South West on:
- Facebook at www.facebook.com/visionzerosw
- X at x.com/visionzerosw
- Instagram at instagram.com/visionzerosouthwest