The state will not blindly lower speed limits across the board but will continue with a risk-based approach. Where road and weather conditions allow, traffic must remain safely fast, writes Kuldar Leis.
To ensure that no family ever has to lose a loved one in traffic again, our shared ambition must be a zero-traffic-deaths Estonia by the year 2050. If we move forward consistently, we can already reduce the number of traffic fatalities threefold and the number of serious injuries eightfold by 2035 compared to last year.
Even more important is that ten years from now, not a single child under the age of 16 or pedestrian in an urban area should die in traffic. Achieving these goals starts with every road user taking responsibility, supported by safe infrastructure and sensible rules.
Focus on pedestrians and systematic offenders
In traffic, the protection of children and pedestrians must come first — they are the most vulnerable. Responsibility is shared, falling not only on adult road users but also on infrastructure designers, local governments and the state. The traffic environment must be designed in a way that a small mistake doesn’t end in tragedy. This means better crosswalks and lighting, separated lanes where there are large differences in speed between road users and safe driving speeds.
In the traffic safety program, we recommend planning urban streets with a speed limit of 40 km/h. For example, after the speed limit was reduced in Tallinn’s city center, the number of injured pedestrians dropped by a third. Equally important is raising awareness among pedestrians and ensuring continuous traffic education at home and in schools, so that wearing a helmet, using a reflector and crossing the street attentively become second nature.
Second, safe driving speeds. The state will not blindly lower speed limits across the board; instead, we will continue with a risk-based approach. Where roads and weather conditions allow — typically on main highways — traffic must continue to move safely at higher speeds. However, the risk is significantly higher on winding and gravel-covered secondary roads, where 82 people have died and 1,399 have been injured over the past five years.
The Transport Administration will continue its step-by-step mapping of the most dangerous road sections — areas near schools and kindergartens, pedestrian and cyclist routes, hazardous curves and busy intersections. These are precisely the places where speed must be reduced and solutions implemented that truly influence behavior: roundabouts, lane narrowings, raised crosswalks and smart signage.
Third, repeat offenders. Most drivers follow the rules, but there are a few thousand individuals who repeatedly break the law and consistently endanger others.
Currently, we have some measures in place to manage them, such as a social program for drunk drivers, addiction treatment or restricting driving privileges. But we need a comprehensive system that compels real behavioral change — an approach that combines awareness-raising education with, if necessary, psychological intervention and treatment. The goal is to ensure that no repeat offender gets back behind the wheel until they understand the danger of their actions and have changed their behavior.
Fourth, distracted driving. An increasing number of dangerous situations are caused by drivers taking their eyes off the road and onto a screen. Sending a text or scrolling through the news may seem harmless, but one second is enough to cause a serious accident.
Solving this issue will require both smarter enforcement and sustained public education to help shift attitudes. Just as buckling a seatbelt became second nature years ago, the message that screens have no place behind the wheel must reach every driver.
Vision Zero
The state is doing its homework. We are investing in road safety and upgrading heavily trafficked road sections to the 2+2 lane standard. In high-risk areas, we are reducing speed limits and shaping the traffic environment to support safe mobility. We are also updating road surface markings. These solutions have already proven effective in practice.
However, some steps require thorough analysis before implementation — average speed cameras, for example. Before deciding whether, where and how to install them, we must resolve legal and privacy concerns and test the equipment. The goal is to do things right — based on evidence, with real impact and in support of the zero [deaths] vision goal. The same principle applies to the system for addressing repeat offenders: the solution must be tailored to Estonia’s specific conditions, not just copied from someone else’s playbook.
This Vision Zero doesn’t mean making new rules for the sake of rules. It means thoughtful decisions, clear accountability and freedom where it’s safe. The state can build roads and set boundaries, but it’s each of us who shapes the traffic culture: by crossing the street attentively, keeping the phone in our pocket while driving or choosing a speed that takes others into account. Vision Zero is not just a slogan on a wall — it’s a pact we must make with ourselves and with one another, so that every member of our family gets home safely at the end of the day.
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