Abstract
COVID-19 and motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are both considered epidemics by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), yet their progression, treatment and success in treatment have been very different. In this paper, we propose that the well-established sustainable safety approach to road safety can be applied to the management of COVID-19. We compare COVID-19 and MVC in terms of several defining characteristics, including evolvement and history, definitions and measures of evaluation, main attributes and characteristics, countermeasures, management and coping strategies, and key success factors. Despite stark differences, there are also some similarities between the two epidemics, and these enable insights into how the principles of sustainable road safety can be utilized to cope with and guide the treatment of COVID-19. Major guidelines that can be adopted include an aggressive policy set at the highest national level. The policy should be data- and science-based and would be most effective when relying on a systems approach (such as Sweden’s Vision Zero, the Netherlands’ Sustainable Safety, and the recommended EU Safe System). The policy should be enforceable and supplemented with positive public information and education campaigns (rather than scare tactics). Progression of mortality and morbidity should be tracked continuously to enable adjustments. Ethical issues (such as invasion of privacy) should be addressed to maximize public acceptance. Interestingly, the well-established domain of MVC can also benefit from the knowledge, experience, and strategies used in addressing COVID-19 by raising the urgency of detection and recognition of new risk factors (e.g., cell phone distractions), developing and implementing appropriate policy and countermeasures, and emphasizing the saliency of the impact of MVC on our daily lives.
Highlights
Traffic crashes have long been considered as an aspect—or collateral damage—of the transportation system and desired mobility; they have typically been analyzed and treated in this context
At the end of the last century and the beginning of this one, it became recognized as a major public health issue, and even as a neglected public health epidemic [4,5]
Based on this analysis, we recommend some approaches to consider for the current COVID-19 pandemic, for the preparedness for the pandemic, and for the road safety domain as well
Summary
Traffic crashes have long been considered as an aspect—or collateral damage—of the transportation system and desired mobility; they have typically been analyzed and treated in this context. At the end of the last century and the beginning of this one, it became recognized as a major public health issue (by the World Health Organization in 2004 and the U.S CDC in 1992; see [3]), and even as a neglected public health epidemic [4,5]. The discussion that follows touches on all of these issues but focuses on two critical ones: defining characteristics that are relevant to effective interventions and effective policy practices Based on this analysis, we recommend some approaches to consider for the current COVID-19 pandemic, for the preparedness for the pandemic, and for the road safety domain as well
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