“Adopting a Safe System starts with accepting the validity of a simple ethical imperative: No human being should be killed or seriously injured as the result of a road crash. (ITF, 2016, p. 5)”

The Safe System approach recognizes that no single component in isolation can achieve the goal of zero road fatalities.

Instead, it relies on the integration of all components to create a holistic, and proactive approach to road safety.

There are four principles central to a Safe System.

First - People make mistakes that can lead to road collisions.

Second - The human body has a known, limited physical ability to tolerate collision forces before harm occurs.

Third - While individuals have a responsibility to act with care and within traffic laws, a shared responsibility exists with those who design, build, manage and use roads and vehicles to prevent collisions resulting in serious injury or death and to provide post-collision care.

Fourth - All parts of the system must be strengthened in combination to multiply their effects, and road users are still protected if one part fails.

(RoadSafe, 2020)