Marjut Ollitervo
This article is based on the presentation I gave at ECOMM 2018, VeloFinland 2018 and Ekocentrum Gothenburg. See also the [youtube http://youtube.com/w/?v=L_-wVOMLS7w].
- Introduction
- Cultural safety and actual safety
- Implications
- Reflector
- Road safety – intrinsic value?
- Moral judgements affect risk assessment
- Example: Pavement cycling
- Risk scale: binary vs. continuous
- Example: Bicycle helmet and speed
- Not all safety measures are equally important
- Risk and responsibility
- Safety rituals
- Implementation
- Objectives
- Cyclist deaths and helmet wearing rate
- Summary
Introduction
Cycling is a solution to many things: health, pollution, noise, congestion, equality, accessibility and environmental issues. That’s why I want to promote cycling. But there is an issue that keeps coming in the way: Safety.
It seems to be very difficult to talk about safety. People are very emotional about it. People take it very personally. Everyone has an opinion on it. Someone had a personal tragedy, etc.
Concerns about safety is one of the reasons why more people are not cycling. That’s why I wanted to learn what safety is really about, and understand how people see it and why.
This article is about what I found. Its an analysis of safety. It’s one way of seeing it. It’s how I see it.
I don’t want you to believe what I’m about to say. I want you to think what I’m about to say.
My examples are from Finland, but if you don’t live in Finland I’m sure you can think of similar examples from your own country, and consider which part of this analysis apply to your country and which doesn’t.
So let’s begin.
When you hear the word road safety, what comes to your mind?
Perhaps street design, speed limits, helmets or safety campaigns. Road safety can mean a lot of things. And we get easily mixed up with all these things. Often when we are talking about road safety, we are actually talking about something else, like morality.
But if we want to improve road safety, that is, to reduce collisions, injuries and deaths, we must separate feelings from facts. To do this I use the concepts of cultural safety and actual safety.
Rethinking Safety | Kaupunkifillari
Marjut Ollitervo This article is based on the presentation I gave at ECOMM 2018, VeloFinland 2018 and Ekocentrum Gothenburg. See also the [youtube http://youtube.com/w/?v=L_-wVOMLS7w]. Introduction Cultural safety and actual safety Implications Reflector Road safety – intrinsic value? Moral judgements affect risk assessment Example: Pavement cycling Risk scale: binary vs. continuous Example: Bicycle helmet and speed… [Read More]
