Road safety: A perspective and a new strategy

The theoretical understanding of road safety has improved in eight respects: recognizing that there can be no cure, abandoning the language of cause and blame, understanding that we need to go beyond crashes to address their consequences, admitting the importance of exposure, taking into account statistical pitfalls and trends, rejecting arguments based on what stands to reason, attempting project evaluation, and, finally, admitting that cost, not carnage, is the issue. A program is proposed with six components: reorganization of road safety under an independent public health agency, planning for the long range, disengagement of road safety from public concern and public relations, commitment to full truthful disclosure to the public and political leaders, reorganization of professional education and public information, and formulation of a coherent modern research program.