Vision Zero is a global movement to end traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by taking a systemic approach to road safety. More than 1.35 million people die annually on the world’s roads. Vision Zero has become a global phenomenon, but too often, strong commitments are not followed by equally strong action and implementation – and road deaths continue to rise.

The Vision Zero Challenge is a WRI-led partnership challenging city leaders to save lives by taking bold actions on road safety. The challenge spotlights the importance of moving from #vision2action by celebrating those cities that are taking responsibility for road safety and also providing targeted support that political and technical leaders need to develop safe mobility systems.

The Vision Zero Challenge exposes city leaders to the tangible actions needed to implement a Vision Zero approach, helping them reflect on how to start a paradigm change and then to act on implementation.

The inaugural Vision Zero Challenge 2020-2021 focused on cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 24 cities invited to participate in an interactive webinar series led by global road safety experts. Amidst the challenges of COVID, the webinar series equipped participating cities with best practices and technical skills to make Vision Zero a reality in their region, including safe pop-up bike lanes, active mobility and other pandemic-related adaptations. Four cities – Buenos Aires, Lima, Mérida, and Belo Horizonte – were recognized for their strides in road safety.

The Vision Zero Challenge is supported by the Delft Road Safety Courses, the FIA Foundation, the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez, the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Transport Forum, the Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP), the Towards Zero Foundation, UK aid, the Vision Zero Academy and the World Bank Group.

The challenge is sponsored by 3M, FIA Foundation, PTV Group and the Volvo Group.