Never Question the Zero Vision of Zero

The road toll is now at its highest for 15 years (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-23/road-death-toll-rises-to-15-year-high/105448142?) and what discourse has been common over that time in all state departments of road safety? Zero!

Of course, zero is just a number, right?

It’s just an aspirational goal, right?

Language and discourse have no effect on the population or the thinking of road safety strategists. Right?

Zero is not a semiotic that permeates the unconscious, right?

Zero is not an archetype that has a life of its own, right?

But we know, once the archetype is put in place, its nearly impossible to remove. Imagine the outrage to suggest that zero is neither visionary or workable! Imagine the outrage to suggest that zero doesn’t work. Or, that zero is counter-productive to safety.

So, when the TAC and TfNSW put their actors on the streets and ask: ‘what would be a more acceptable number?’. There’s only one answer. Zero.

The marketing and ads obviously work. So, keep up the campaign and don’t mention the SUV trend (https://safetyrisk.net/when-the-goal-is-zero-make-sure-you-dont-address-anything-significant/). No-one seems to come out and demonstrate the whole binary logic of the question is nonsense.

And when something doesn’t work, you’d scrap it right? No, let’s run a zero campaign for no accidents on a Friday (https://safetyrisk.net/all-accidents-are-not-preventable-on-friday/), now that would be clever (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyV1SUa-AVo).

So, when a strategy doesn’t work in business, generally your ditch the strategy or go out of business. Not so Safety (https://safetyrisk.net/zero-doesnt-work-road-fatalities-increase/). Let’s just shift the slogans, keep the strategy and ‘make it personal’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orEHDAd3fOY).

It couldn’t possibly be that zero campaigns have by-products and trade-offs (https://safetyrisk.net/study-reveals-an-unexpected-side-effect-of-traffic-safety-messages/). It couldn’t possibly be that zero vision lacks vision and ‘fails’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7nfqsMI8vs).

When all roads lead to Zero (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPLx0XN0908), for god sake don’t change anything – double down, amplify, blame, insult (https://safetyrisk.net/whose-the-bloody-idiot/ ), rinse and repeat. I know, let’s keep talking nonsense to people and call it ‘bold’ and ‘ambitious’ (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9l8ByhJL6Ec).

But, it’s never zero anyway, is it? It’s ‘toward zero’. There you go, now we have the excuse when it doesn’t happen. Now we have an option out when nothing improves. Now we don’t look stupid any more.

I know, let’s start a campaign for ‘zero war’ for Ukraine, Iran and Gaza. Yep, that will do it.

Let’s not let reality, fallibility and mortality get in the way of language, discourse and goal setting. When zero doesn’t work, don’t blame zero (https://safetyrisk.net/when-zero-doesnt-work-dont-blame-zero/).

Just keep preaching zero and count the number of times you don’t achieve it.

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Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

• The Fallible Factor and What to Do About It - July 6, 2025
• Hiding Harm in the Name of Safety - July 6, 2025
• Never Question the Zero Vision of Zero - July 6, 2025
• Grenfell Uncovered, But Don’t Blame Anyone - July 6, 2025
• Register for Free SPoR Module on Culture – Starting 9 July 2025 - July 2, 2025

PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.