| 1. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
-
Arguments against Vision Zero: A Literature Review
- 2022. - 1
-
Ingår i: The Vision Zero Handbook. - Switzerland : Springer Nature. ; , s. 107-149
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite Vision Zero’s moral appeal and its expansion throughout the world, it has been criticized on different grounds. This chapter is based on an extensive literature search for criticism of Vision Zero, using the bibliographic databases Philosopher’s Index, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Phil Papers, and by following the references in the collected documents. Even if the primary emphasis was on Vision Zero in road traffic, our search also included documents criticizing Vision Zero policies in other safety areas, such as public health, the construction and mining industries, and workplaces in general. Based on the findings, we identify and systematically characterize and classify the major arguments that have been put forward against Vision Zero. The most important arguments against Vision Zero can be divided into three major categories: moral arguments, arguments concerning the (goalsetting) rationality of Vision Zero, and arguments aimed at the practical implementation of the goals. We also assess the arguments. Of the thirteen identified main arguments, six were found to be useful for a constructive discussion on safety improvements.
|
|
| 2. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
-
Can Cost Benefit Analysis and Vision Zero be Reconciled?
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and Vision Zero are often considered to be incompatible approaches to road traffic safety. The discord between the two can be traced back to basic incompatibilities between utilitarian and deontological modes of moral thinking. However, both have something to contribute. CBA is an expression of the reasonable principle that the resources available for improving traffic safety should be used as efficiently as possible, and Vision Zero expresses the equally reasonable principle that deaths and serious injuries in road traffic are always unacceptable. The two can be reconciled, if due attention is paid to the fact that Vision Zero accepts temporary compromises, albeit not end-goal compromises, and the efficiency analysis of CBA is disassociated from claims of optimality. We propose two ways to reconcile the two approaches. First, the results of a CBA can be presented not only for the currently used life-value but also for alternative, higher life-values. Secondly, essentially the same information can be presented in the form of cost-effectiveness safety analysis (CESA), which reports the economic costs per life saved. We propose that a CESA should be performed for all road traffic projects, not only those that have safety improvement as their main objective. In this way, an economically informed total overview of the impact of Vision Zero in traffic safety can be obtained.
|
|
| 3. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
-
Can Cost Benefit Analysis and Vision Zero be Reconciled?
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and Vision Zero are often considered to be incompatible approaches to road traffic safety. The discord between the two can be traced back to basic incompatibilities between utilitarian and deontological modes of moral thinking. However, both have something to contribute. CBA is an expression of the reasonable principle that the resources available for improving traffic safety should be used as efficiently as possible, and Vision Zero expresses the equally reasonable principle that deaths and serious injuries in road traffic are always unacceptable. The two can be reconciled, if due attention is paid to the fact that Vision Zero accepts temporary compromises, albeit not end-goal compromises, and the efficiency analysis of CBA is disassociated from claims of optimality. We propose two ways to reconcile the two approaches. First, the results of a CBA can be presented not only for the currently used life-value but also for alternative, higher life-values. Secondly, essentially the same information can be presented in the form of cost-effectiveness safety analysis (CESA), which reports the economic costs per life saved. We propose that a CESA should be performed for all road traffic projects, not only those that have safety improvement as their main objective. In this way, an economically informed total overview of the impact of Vision Zero in traffic safety can be obtained.
|
|
| 4. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
-
Equity and Social Justice considerations in road safety work: The case of Vision Zero in New York City
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Transport Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0967-070X .- 1879-310X. ; 149, s. 11-20
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper analyses how Vision Zero (VZ) efforts in New York City (NYC) account for equity and social justice implications of road safety work. VZ policy documents, research literature, popular science and opinion articles on road safety work in the city were studied with a prime focus on equity and social justice. Twelve semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in road safety and transport planning in the city and at national level were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of policy design, the adoption process, and the role of equity considerations in the city's road safety work. The results show that major equity and social justice issues arise in the adoption and implementation of VZ. These issues are primarily related to equity and fairness in the distribution of life saving interventions, the socio-economic impacts of road safety strategies, and the nature of community engagement in policy design and implementation. The findings point to a need for VZ practitioners to give due considerations to equity and social justice implications of VZ policies and strategies. Among others, it supports the need for understanding the nature of past equity and social justice problems in road safety and transport planning in the VZ policy design process. Moreover, the findings suggest the need for empirical studies on the socio-economic implications of VZ strategies and interventions.
|
|
| 5. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
-
Equity and Social Justice Considerations in Road Safety Work : The Case of Vision Zero in New York City
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper analyses how Vision Zero (VZ) efforts in New York City (NYC) account for equity and social justice implications of road safety work. VZ policy documents, research literature, popular science and opinion articles on road safety work in the city were studied with a prime focus on equity and social justice. Twelve semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in road safety and transport planning in the city and at national level were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of policy design, the adoption process, and the role of equity considerations in the city’s road safety work. The results show that major equity and social justice issues arise in the adoption and implementation of VZ. These issues are primarily related to equity and fairness in the distribution of life saving interventions, the socio-economic impacts of road safety strategies, and the nature of community engagement in policy design and implementation. The findings point to a need for VZ practitioners to give due consideration to equity and social justice implications of VZ policies and strategies. Among others, it supports the need for understanding the nature of past equity and social justice problems in road safety and transport planning in the VZ policy design process. Moreover, the findings suggest the need for empirical studies on the socio-economic implications of VZ strategies and interventions.
|
|
| 6. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-
(författare)
-
Ethical Issues in the Adoption and Implementation of Vision Zero Policies in Road Safety
- 2023
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this doctoral thesis is to analyze ethical issues in the adoption and implementation of Vision Zero policies. The first article analyses criticisms against Vision Zero goals and measures promoted to reach them. We identify and assess “moral”, “operational”, and “rationality-based” arguments against Vision Zero. In total, thirteen different criticisms are analyzed. The second article seeks to reconcile the two major decision-making principles in road safety work, i.e., Cost Benefit Analysis and Vision Zero, which are often viewed as incompatible. We argue that the two principles can be compatible if the implementation of Vision Zero accepts temporal compromises intended to promote efficient allocation of resources, and the results of Cost Benefit Analysis are viewed not as optimal and satisfactory as long as fatal and serious injuries continue occurring. The third article uses Vision Zero as a normative framework to explore and analyze road safety work in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The ensuing analysis shows that there are significant differences between Addis Ababa road safety policies and Vision Zero in terms of how road safety problems are understood and in their responsibility ascriptions for improving road safety problems. It is argued that enhancing road safety in the city requires promoting a broader view of the causes and remedies of road safety problems. Moreover, given the magnitude and severity of road safety problems in the city, it is vital to emphasize the moral responsibility of actors responsible for the design and operation of the road system, and entities that procure and own large number of vehicles. The fourth article analyses equity and social justice considerations in Vision Zero efforts in New York City (NYC). Moreover, this study seeks to understand and assess how the city accounts for equity and social justice implications of road safety work. The result of the study shows that equity and social justice considerations played important roles in the initial adoption of Vision Zero policy in the city. Nonetheless, the study also shows that the adoption and implementation process gave rise to important equity and social justice issues which are primarily related to the method of prioritization used in road safety work in the city, equity and fairness in the distribution of life saving interventions, the socioeconomic impacts of road safety strategies, and the nature of community engagement in policy design and implementation. The findings of this study, among others, point to a need for Vision Zero practitioners to give due considerations to equity and social justice implications of Vision Zero policies and strategies. The fifth article analyzes the nature and moral acceptability of risk impositions from car driving in a low-income country context. It is shown that car driving involves an unfair and morally problematic risk imposition in which some stakeholders, namely those who decide on the nature of the risk in the road system and benefit the most from car driving, impose a significant risk of harm on others, who neither benefit from the risk imposition nor have decision-making role related to the risks they are exposed to. It is argued that addressing moral problems arising from the unfair risk imposition necessitates the promotion, on the part of beneficiaries and decision makers, of certain types of moral obligations related to the nature and magnitude of road crash risks. Importantly, those who benefit the most from car driving, and actors who decide on the risk level in the road system, have the moral obligation to implement effective risk reducing measures that protect those unfairly risk exposed, obligations to know more about road crash risks, obligations to compensate victims, obligations to communicate with the risk exposed and incorporate their concerns in policy making, and obligations to bring about attitudinal change.
|
|
| 7. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-
(författare)
-
Road Safety Policy in Addis Ababa: A Vision Zero Perspective
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this paper, the Addis Ababa city road safety work is examined and analysed based on the Vision Zero approach to road safety. Government policy documents and available research on the state of road safety in the city are explored and assessed in terms of how they compare with Vision Zero, concerning how road safety problems are conceptualized, the responsibility ascriptions promoted, the nature of goal setting with regards to road safety objectives, and the specific road safety interventions promoted. It is concluded that there is a big difference between the Vision Zero approach to road safety and the Addis Ababa road safety approach in terms how road safety problems are framed and how responsibility ascriptions are made. In Addis Ababa, road safety problems are mainly viewed as individual road user problems and, hence, the responsibility for traffic safety extended to other system components such as the vehicle and road design is very limited. It is argued that in order to find and secure long-term solutions for traffic safety in the city, a paradigm shift is needed, both regarding what are perceived to be the main causes of road safety problems in the city and who should be responsible for ensuring that road fatalities and injuries are prevented.
|
|
| 8. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-
(författare)
-
Road Safety Policy in Addis Ababa: A Vision Zero Perspective
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Sustainability. - Switzerland : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 14:9, s. 1-22
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, the Addis Ababa city road safety policies are examined and analysed based on the Vision Zero approach to road safety work. Three major policy documents are explored and assessed in terms of how they compare with Vision Zero policy in Sweden, concerning how road safety problems are conceptualised, the responsibility ascriptions promoted, the nature of goal setting concerning road safety objectives, and the specific road safety interventions promoted. It is concluded that there is a big difference between the Swedish Vision Zero approach to road safety work and the Addis Ababa road safety approach in terms of how road safety problems are framed and how responsibility ascriptions are made. In Addis Ababa, policy documents primarily frame road safety problems as individual road user problems and, hence, the responsibility for traffic safety is mainly left to the individual road users. The responsibility extended to other system components such as the vehicles, road design, and the operation of the traffic is growing but still very limited. It is argued that in order to find and secure long-term solutions for traffic safety in the city, a paradigm shift is needed, both regarding what are perceived to be the main causes of road safety problems in the city and who should be responsible for ensuring that road fatalities and injuries are prevented.
|
|
| 9. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-
(författare)
-
The Morality of Driving Cars: An Ethical Analysis of Risk Impositions
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper provides an ethical analysis of risk impositions from car driving in a low-income country context. To this end, a model of ethical risk analysis is used in which stakeholders and their corresponding roles in relation to a risk imposition is used to identify the nature and moral acceptability of risk impositions. I argue that car driving involves a risk imposition in which some stakeholders who decide on and benefit from the risk impositions, impose an unfair risk of harm on other stakeholders who are neither beneficiaries from the risk imposition nor have a decisionmaking role related to the risks they are exposed to. Mainstream ethical theories lack feasible solutions to the moral dilemmas associated with the risk impositions. I argue that addressing the unfair and morally problematic risk impositions requires the promotion certain types of moral obligations associated with the nature and magnitude of the risk impositions. Accordingly, actors who decide on risk level in the road system and, those who benefit from the current risk impositions have the moral obligations to know more about the nature of the risk imposition, to communicate with the unfairly risk exposed, to compensate those who are harmed, and to bring about attitudinal change with regards to the causes and remedies of road safety problems, and to improve safety of those unfairly risk exposed. Most of all, enhancing the safety of children, and pedestrians requires a political and societal commitment to promote effective road safety measures that eliminate major risk factors affecting these groups of road users.
|
|
| 10. |
- Abebe, Henok Girma, 1988-
(författare)
-
The Rationality and Moral Acceptability of Vision Zero Goal and Its Interventions
- 2021
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This licentiate thesis discusses moral issues associated with road safety work, with a particular emphasis on the Vision Zero (VZ) goal and its interventions. The licentiate thesis contains three articles and an introduction that briefly discusses issues and arguments presented in the articles.The first article, identifies, systematically categorizes and evaluates arguments against VZ. Moral, operational, and rationality related criticisms against the adoption and implementation of VZ are identified and discussed. The second article in this thesis seeks to reconcile the methods of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and VZ in road safety decision making. CBA has been and still is a major decision making tool in road transport and traffic safety work. However, proponents of VZ question the use of CBA in road safety and transport decision making on methodological and ethical grounds. In this paper, we locate the philosophical roots of the conflicting views promoted by proponents of CBA and VZ. Then we try to identify ways through which the two methods can be made compatible.The third and final paper uses VZ as a normative framework to explore and analyse the Addis Ababa road safety work. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, the paper seeks to examine how road safety problems are actually understood by those responsible for road safety at the local level. To this end, government policy documents, reports and other relevant sources where consulted to identify how road safety problems are framed, who is assigned responsibility for addressing road safety problems and through what interventions. Second, the paper aims to examine road safety work in the city from a normative point of view, i.e., what is the best, or most adequate, way of framing the problem, and who should be given the responsibility for addressing the problem and by what measures. It is argued that enhancing road safety in the city requires adopting a broader view of causes of road safety problems, and emphasizing the responsibility of actors that shape the design and operation of the traffic system and the safety of its components.
|
|
