car2go NA’s carsharing service has pledged support for "Vision Zero," a road safety initiative supported by cities around the world with the goal of totally eliminating road fatalities and serious injuries.

Founded in Sweden in 1997, Vision Zero is a road traffic safety initiative adopted by cities in Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. Washington, D.C. launched its Vision Zero action plan in 2015, with the goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries throughout the District's transportation system by the year 2024.

"car2go is deeply committed to road safety and can play a major role in helping to achieve Vision Zero's objective of eliminating road fatalities," said Paul DeLong, CEO of car2go NA. "We will increase road safety education with our members to empower them to be a part of the road safety solution. Carsharing itself promotes road safety by reducing the overall number of vehicles sharing the roads with bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians. The car2go vehicle network our members use features new Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles with a variety of advanced road safety features. We will also continue to work with city transportation agencies and third-party road safety advocacy organizations across North America to help people move from point A to point B easily, affordably, and safely in ways that advance Vision Zero initiatives."

car2go's carsharing network of Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles feature safety technology, including a 180-degree rearview camera, blind spot assist, electronic stability, and adaptive braking, according to the company.

car2go has several initiatives to promote road safety, including:

• Road safety education: car2go leverages its social media channels and the car2go app messaging system to warn of hazardous driving conditions and share road safety best practices.

• Using data for safety: car2go analyzes incident data and member feedback from over 8.75 million trips and 59 million miles that U.S. and Canadian car2go members traveled in 2016 to help inform decisions on improving the service.

• Zero tolerance for impaired driving: car2go has a firm zero-tolerance policy against impaired driving. Any car2go member found to be driving impaired will have their membership permanently revoked, and car2go will assist local police in prosecuting for impaired driving.

• Working with cities: car2go continues to collaborate with city transportation agencies and third-party road safety advocacy organizations to advance Vision Zero initiatives.

In addition to Washington, D.C., car2go's one-way carsharing service operates in the following cities with active Vision Zero programs: Austin, Calgary, Denver, Montreal, New York City, Portland, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver.