Statement from Peter Goldwasser, Executive Director, Together for Safer Roads: Global Action Highlights the Importance of Moving Proven Safety Solutions to Scale
“One of the persistent challenges in fleet safety is moving from promising technology and successful pilots to consistent implementation at scale. Recent actions across North America and Europe demonstrate both that progression and an important lesson: there is no single pathway to scale. Fleet operations and procurement, industry leadership, guidance and regulation can each help move effective safety interventions into broader practice.
In July, New York City issued Executive Order 19, which requires Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) in contracts for new civilian City fleet vehicles and pedestrian alerts in contracts for new City fleet trucks. The order also directs the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to retrofit existing civilian City fleet trucks with pedestrian alerts by June 30, 2029. These steps build on several years of implementation by DCAS, which has already equipped 1,000 vehicles across 23 vehicle types with ISA, logging more than 8 million miles with the technology since August 2022.
At the same time, The European Union continues the phased implementation of its General Safety Regulation, requiring a range of advanced safety technologies in new vehicles. Intelligent Speed Assistance has been required in all new vehicles since July 2024, while additional requirements are being phased in, including improved direct-vision requirements designed to better protect pedestrians and cyclists around buses and trucks.
In Quebec, the newly published BNQ-1030 Heavy Vehicle Risk Index’s new Direct Vision guidance provides another approach , giving fleet operators practical tools to assess visibility and blind spots and consider vehicle design and safety technologies that can better protect vulnerable road users.
These different approaches also underscore that neither government nor industry can drive this transition alone. Public policy can create conditions that encourage and accelerate adoption, while private-sector fleets and technology providers play a critical role in developing and testing new solutions, putting them into practice, demonstrating their effectiveness and sharing lessons that can inform others.
Together for Safer Roads works across these sectors globally, bringing together fleets, technology providers and other partners to translate promising safety approaches into practical solutions that can be implemented across fleets and markets.
We increasingly know more about the technologies, policies, operational practices, procurement strategies and safety cultures that can make fleets safer. The challenge now is turning that knowledge into action. Doing so requires public- and private-sector leadership, sustained collaboration, and a shared commitment to making what works part of how fleets operate every day.”
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Together for Safer Roads
Together for Safer Roads (TSR) is a leading international NGO focused on building cross-sector partnerships to enhance fleet safety. TSR leverages the technology, data, and expertise of the private sector to create innovative programs aimed at preventing traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities around the world. TSR members include some of the largest and most influential fleets globally, as well as best-in-class road safety technology companies. Learn more at www.togetherforsaferroads.org.
Media Contact: Judy Klym, Judy@AgletStrategies.Com