Vision Zero or Vision Wishful Thinking? Actually making our roads safer with Jamie Hassall of PACTS

This week on Highways Voices, we tackle one of the most important issues facing transport professionals today: road safety.To discuss whether the industry is truly serious about Vision Zero, we’re joined by Jamie Hassall, Executive Director of PACTS, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, who delivers a frank and thought-provoking challenge to many of the assumptions drivers, policymakers and even transport professionals hold about safety on the road network.Subscribe to Highways Voices on your favourite podcast platform and never miss an episode.In the conversation, he argues that Britain’s national speed limit system is outdated, particularly on rural roads, and explains why “safe speed” is often very different from the number shown on a sign. The conversation explores the backlash against 20mph limits, why compliance with speed limits remains so poor, and whether technologies like Intelligent Speed Assistance, telematics and autonomous vehicles could fundamentally change driver behaviour.We also discuss why road safety investment still struggles to secure funding despite crashes – including many which are preventable - costing the UK economy billions each year, and whether organisations that repeatedly claim “safety is our number one priority” are genuinely backing those words with meaningful action.Perhaps most importantly, Jamie Hassall makes the case for a major focus on work-related road safety, arguing that fleet operators and employers could play a transformative role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads.This is a conversation guaranteed to spark debate across the highways and transport technology sector.Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.