On 31 March 2026, the second session of the Road Safety Capacity-Building Program Masterclass Series – The Safe System Approach: From Theory to Action was held. The series is co-presented by the Asia Pacific Road Safety Observatory (APRSO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in partnership with the Vision Zero Academy. The webinar series is supported by a grant from the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR), financed by the Government of Japan through the ADB.

The session attracted almost 250 participants from 120 countries, and was moderated by Jessica Truong, Director at Lösningar.

The session was opened by Kenneth Svensson, Special Advisor Traffic Safety at the Vision Zero Academy. He outlined the physics of kinetic energy and emphasised that the human body has not evolved to withstand high speed impacts. Kenneth underscored that the level of force that the human body can withstand without being killed or seriously injured should be the primary parameter in the design of road transport systems, capturing a core principle of the Safe System approach.

Nils Lübbe, Senior Director of Research at Autoliv, presented on the latest research, methodological advances, and findings of injury risk curves across different road user groups at varying speeds. His presentation highlighted how this evidence can inform safer speeds, noting that more vulnerable road users face a significantly higher risk of injury, even at relatively low speeds.

Building on this research, Johan Strandroth, Director at Strandroth Inc. used a series of examples and case studies to demonstrate how insights into human tolerance can guide the selection of effective road safety measures. These included infrastructure solutions, such as roundabouts, and advancements in vehicle technology, illustrating how evidence can be translated into practical policy interventions.

Finally, Anne Harris, Program Advisor at the Transport Accident Commission, presented the ‘Meet Graham’ campaign in Victoria, Australia. She explained how the campaign engaged the community on the concept of human vulnerability and survivable speeds. Graham, a sculpture depicting how the human body would have to be anatomically adapted to survive high speed impacts, offered a compelling and innovative way to build public understanding and support for road safety initiatives.

The webinar series will continue with the third session scheduled on 14 April 2026. Read more about the upcoming sessions here.