Preface
PREFACE
“2021-2030 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper”, being the product of intensive and devoted efforts, will be one of the source studies that will contribute to the progress of our country developing and advancing in every aspect on road traffic safety.
We believe that with the Strategy Paper, we will put an end to the perception that accidents are an inevitable risk of traffic by refusing the understanding that “It is Impossible to Avoid Road Accidents” and acting upon the motto “Human Life Comes First”. We expect that everyone using roads, along with governmental institutions and organizations will fulfil their responsibilities, act in compliance with the matters specified in the strategy paper, and remember that they are an irreplaceable part of traffic to exhibit such attitudes and behaviour in line with the strategy paper.
We are aware that the success we achieved in traffic safety on the global scale as of 2020 is of capital importance. However, within the frame of the understanding that “If human life is in question, even a single loss of life in traffic is too many” and the ideal of “Better Traffic with Each Year”, and with the adoption of this strategy paper, we will work harder as all stakeholder institutions by feeling deeply the responsibility to prevent even a single drop of blood shed by any citizen in traffic:
- To prevent the socio-economic consequences of traffic accidents causing the loss of life of an average of more than 5.000 people and injury of around 250.000 people in various degrees annually, despite all measures taken, by decreasing traffic accidents,
- To eliminate the traffic safety problems constituting an impediment to the mobility demands of people and ensure less pollution of the environment,
- To ensure less noise,
- To decrease the additional expenditures that place a burden on our economy,
- And to eliminate the barriers that prevent people from joining the traffic as pedestrians and riders.
This strategy paper constitutes a roadmap of our objective to prevent the loss of life and serious injuries due to traffic accidents. The methods to follow in achieving the objective of this road map will be regulated under the subheadings of the strategy document and the Road Traffic Safety Action Plan (2021-2023) and following action plans prepared to put into practice the principles established in this strategy paper.
2021-2030 Road Traffic Safety Strategy Paper addresses:
- The Safe System Approach in traffic safety management with Leadership, Coordination and Team Work,
- A safe Infrastructure and Road Perimeter System,
- Safe Vehicles supported by new and future technologies,
- Road Users exhibiting safe behaviours,
- And actions to minimize the loss of life with the Post-Accident Effective Interventions.
The objectives were planned to be gradually fulfilled by 2030 considering that the actualization of such strategic changes need time. We will work towards decreasing the number of our citizens who lose their lives and are seriously injured in traffic accidents by 50% by 2030, compared to the numbers in 2020.
“Safety” will lie at the heart of all transportation activities in the future and people will seek an environment that will enable a healthy life with fresh air in their city, where they will be able to safely go for a walk and ride a bicycle. We will also need to maintain a transportation system that also strengthens social relations by mobilizing technological facilities across our country to meet the demands of our society.
As such, to accomplish our objectives, it is of great importance that each stakeholder of the strategy paper feels the same responsibility and benefits from all facilities, provides the necessary leadership, actualizes plans by making all evaluations based on quality data, and makes rationalistic and beneficial investments for traffic safety.
Achieving the ultimate objective of “zero loss of life in traffic by 2050” is possible only through all road users believing in and all stakeholders of the traffic system focusing on this objective. We have full confidence that each stakeholder will act with the necessary sense of mission to achieve this substantial and critical objective with the understanding that “We are All Together on this Road”.