Sweden is often considered a pioneer in the field of road safety and is among the countries with the lowest number of traffic related deaths per capita. AstaZero is the world’s first full-scale test environment for future road safety. What is unique about the facility is that the different traffic environments make it possible to test advanced safety systems and their functions for all kinds of traffic and traffic situations.
This enables research, development and certification of future road safety systems, and functions as an international arena open for vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, legislators, universities and colleges from throughout the world.
One of AstaZero´s primary objectives is to strive to meet Vision Zero, since traffic and road use is a major and increasing cause of fatalities around the world. The name is a combination of ASTA Active Safety Test Area and Zero, which refers to the Swedish Parliament’s vision for road safety with zero dead and seriously injured in traffic.
Design: AstaZero’s total surface area amounts to about 2,000,000 square metres (200ha) with a paved surface of 250,000 square metres (25ha). The facility is encircled by a 5.7km highway connected to a city environment with four blocks, 40m by 25m. AstaZero also features a high-speed area consisting of a circle, 240m in diameter, with “drop add-ons” joined to a 700m long multi-lane road. AstaZero was a $70 million investment.