About us

Heroes for Zero started as a grass-roots movement in 2017, following the death of Stéphanie Verbraekel.

A driver driving at 98km/h on Chaussée de Haecht hit her, causing her to die shortly after. Her death unleashed a wave of indignation and solidarity, which then gave birth to 1030/0, a citizen collective striving for more road safety in Schaerbeek. The collective managed to organise local residents and through various actions put pressure on local authorities to take action against speeding, making Schaerbeek the first municipality to implement the zone 30.

More citizen collectives started popping up in other parts of Brussels, often in the aftermath of terrible collisions of cars with pedestrians and cyclists. Each local group adopts a similar “code name” - the postal code of the municipality in combination with /0, which stands for vision zero— the international movement that strives for 0 deaths, 0 serious injuries on the road.

In 2020, these local initiatives decided to join forces and create a single umbrella organisation called Heroes for Zero.

Our bilingual non-profit group is changing public debate and policy on these issues by emphasizing, through different actions, that road safety is a right, not a privilege. We played a key role in the political decision to lower the speed limit to 30 km/h throughout Brussels.

The non-profit also advocates the improvement of infrastructure, in particular to secure zebra crossings and dangerous intersections, as well as pushing for calmer neighborhoods and public spaces adapted to children and other vulnerable users (including PRMs and senior citizens).

If the mission of our movement resonates with you, don't hesitate to learn what you can do to support our mission, donate to our cause or even consider joining!