Safer Streets with Shared Micro- Mobility
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VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 Safer streets with shared micro- mobility Voi’s Annual Safety Report June 2021 Cities made for living. VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 Content 03 Let’s build our cities for people and not cars – CEO statement Voi’s CEO Fredrik Hjelm: “We know that e-scooters are just as vulnerable as pedestrians or cyclists in traffic.” 07 A roadmap for our journey to Vision Zero – report findings at a glance By understanding the key causes of crashes, we can set out a strategic approach to reach our Vision Zero target. 14 Creating safe streets through modal shifts Road safety experts agree that cars are the main hazard, and infrastructure needs to improve for micro-mobility. 21 New transport mode, new risks and opportunities Shared e-scooters present new safety risks. Voi has taken a string of actions to reduce these and build a safer service. 35 Safer streets for all with parking hubs Clutter and bad parking are risks for other road users, but research suggests that these issues can be solved. 39 Working together with international road safety experts Voi frequently seeks advice from external experts and takes input from our Safety Advisory Council. VOI.COM 2 VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 CEO STATEMENT Let’s build our cities for people and not cars As an operator for shared micro-mobility, we take responsibility for the crashes and road injuries that our service contributes to. We have a Vision Zero target, meaning that we are working on eliminating all severe traffic injuries and fatalities by 2030. VOI.COM 3 VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 THE SAFETY OF SHARED MICRO-MOBILITY and particularly helping us already in understanding where to focus e-scooters, has led to heated debates in recent years. our energy. This is one of the main reasons for producing this report. This also puts us in line with the Stockholm We want to bring as much transparency to the Declaration from last year's global ministerial confer- industry as possible. This means educating ourselves, ence on road safety. The declaration calls on businesses our riders and those involved with urban transport so to contribute to the road safety-related Sustainable that we all can make our cities safe for everyone. Development Goals and report the progress. Voi exists because we want to create cities for people and not cars. It has been a personal journey LIKE MANY OF OUR CITY PARTNERS, we have a Vision Zero for me. I was inspired to start Voi after spending time target. That means we want to eliminate all severe inju- in Moscow where I became dismayed with the traffic ries and fatalities by 2030. We know this can be achieved chaos and air pollution that residents had to endure if we all work together. This is why we started a global there. It was time for a new way to look at transport. safety advisory council, helping us identify the best ways Of course, anytime something new arrives on the for us to improve safety on the streets we operate in. scene, it gets questioned. Safety is one of the areas We have also implemented several concrete where we feel those questions have been very relevant. measures like educating our users on safe riding and rewarding them for doing so. We have launched a WE KNOW THAT E-SCOOTERS are just as vulnerable as string of new in-app safety features to improve riding pedestrians or cyclists in traffic and that the primary behaviour, such as our reaction test to prevent drink- source of danger on our streets comes from heavier ing and riding. In addition, we have released two new vehicles. We also know that if more people opt for shared e-scooter models designed to increase safety. micro-mobility services, then there would be less cars on the road and this results in less crashes and better air. WHEN EVERYONE OPENLY REPORTS their safety footprint, At the same time, we know that our service is we can together find solutions. Transparency is key for involved in incidents causing injuries for our users us to work well together with cities and government “If we work together, and other road users. Sometimes these incidents are authorities to build safer streets. If we work together, directly related to irresponsible user behaviour. Neither then shared micro-mobility can provide significant then shared micro- I nor any of our more than 500 employees think this is benefits to the people in our cities and make it easy mobility can provide acceptable. Our company was founded after all with a to choose alternatives to cars, making spaces not just vision to create cities for living. safer, but healthier and easily accessible. significant benefits to It’s important then, that we understand the true We hope this report can add new insights into the people in our cities.” cause of all crashes and the best ways to solve them. safety issues not just with e-scooters but all traffic What gets measured gets done and this report is the and we look forward to continuing the journey to safer Fredrik Hjelm, CEO of Voi Technology first step for us to measure and report our findings. It’s travels and healthier cities. VOI.COM 4 VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 Taking action to MARCH 2021 Launch of the Road MARCH 2021 Campaign for offer- Safety Module in partnership ing time-bound passes, making with Drivetech by AA, an online the service more inclusive and create a safe service safety course targeting both our contributes to safer riding by riders and other road users. removing speed incentives. At Voi, we take a data-driven approach DECEMBER 2020 The in-app fea- DECEMBER 2020 We formed the to improve the safety of our service, and ture Helmet selfie is launched, Safety Advisory Council, a incentivising users to wear a group of external road safety help cities achieve Vision Zero. Here are helmet by getting discounted experts advising Voi on safety- rides after taking a selfie. related improvements. some of the safety initiatives that we have implemented. JULY 2020 Launch of Voiager 3, AUGUST 2020 An internal Safety the first inhouse developed Task Force is launched, span- e-scooter with larger wheels, ning across all business units, improved hydraulic suspension to focus on improving the safety AUGUST 2018 We became one SEPTEMBER 2019 The virtual and other safety features. of Voi’s products and service. of the first companies to put traffic schoolRide Like Voila is shared e-scooters on streets launched, providing a fun and across Europe and the first interactive way to educate riders European e-scooter operator. on the rules of the road. 2018 2019 2020 2021 DECEMBER 2019 We launched SEPTEMBER 2020 The in-app SEPTEMBER 2020 The in-app FEBRUARY 2021 Launch of our firstparking racks to keep feature Beginner mode is feature Reaction test is intro- Voiager 4, Voi’s second fully footpaths clear, designed in introduced, limiting speeds for duced, requiring users to test inhouse developed e-scooter partnership with the Norwegian the first 10 rides while new riders their fitness to drive before start- with turn indicators, improved Association for the Blind. get acquainted with e-scooters. ing a trip on weekend nights. IoT and design for safer rides. VOI.COM 5 VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 Report %L %L L L Report highlights % % Here are some of thehighlights facts and figures you can learn ...of Europeans31 find the lack of ...of fatal80 bicycle and e-scooter ...of crashes that result in the dedicated...of lanes Europeans to be a keyfind issue the lack of crashes are caused by heavy more about in this report.Some of the facts and80 figures you 31 can learn more aboutdeath ofin athis bicycle report. or e-scooter for e-scooters.dedicated Eurobarometer lanes to be a key issue motor vehicles. ITF-OECD rider involve cars. ITF-OECD for e-scooters. Eurobarometer L L L %L % %L % %L % ...of90 surveyed cities thinks...of city authorities70...of believe 16all crashes that fewer resulting in ...of 16all...of crashes people50 resulting who haven’t in tried ...of e-scooter60 riders ended their trip that parking is a key safetycar trips and morepersonal micro-mobility injury occur are on the personale-scooters injury wantoccur toon learn the to ride in in a parking spot when available. concern. Voi’s City Surveygood for safety. Voi’sfirst City ride. Survey Voi’s crash data firsta secluded ride. Voi’s area. crash Voi’s data Safety Survey Transportøkonomiskt institutt VOI.COM 6 VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 REPORT FINDINGS AT A GLANCE A roadmap for our journey to Vision Zero We pledge to be transparent and factual on our safety track record and what we’re doing to prevent crashes. This annual Safety Report is another step in this direction. VOI.COM 7 VOI SAFETY REPORT 2021 and environmental goals while also contributing to increased road safety. As our company matures, we need to manage our safety risks and opportunities in order to realise the potential of making streets safer with shared micro- mobility. This Safety Report is our first but won’t be our last. We will publish a new one every year from now on and report on the measures we’re taking and the progress we’re making year on year. Our target is zero severe injuries and fatalities in our value chain by 2030. For this first report, we have looked at available research and gathered input from a wide range of stakeholders to help us get new insights into safety risks and opportunities for shared micro-mobility, and e-scooters in particular.