Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks

1. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks Eric Howard Principal Eric Howard and Associates

2. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks OECD / ITF Towards Zero Report, 2008 www.internationaltransportforum.org/jtrc/safety/targets

3. OECD / ITF “Towards Zero, Achieving ambitious Targets through a Safe System Approach” Report, 2008 - What did it find? Targets are aspirational - not empirically derived Targets unlikely to be achieved by most countries Strategies incremental in nature Lack of longer term vision Unease at trauma levels and awareness of problems – but: reluctance to implement proven solutions and to seek change in social norms lack of certainty and confidence about achieving substantial future progress - “how to implement” issues

4. OECD / ITF Towards Zero Report, 2008What did it find? A focus on individual interventions rather than what is necessary for a fundamentally safer road transport system Safe system approach not yet widely understood or implemented Institutional management arrangements not adequate Very limited awareness of spending levels on treatment and on prevention of road injury by government Little done to date to inform the public about the benefits of a safe system approach

5. OECD / ITF Towards Zero Report, 2008Recommendations • Setting targets assists achievement • Implement proven interventions • Adopt a highly ambitious vision • Actively develop a safe system and SPI’s to drive progress • Review your road safety management system

6. OECD / ITF Towards Zero Report, 2008 Recommendations • Build robust strategies, actions, associated targets • Collect/ analyse datatounderstand crash risks and measure current performance (8) Improve transparency in funding and resource allocation. Step change in investment required. • Develop support at the highest political level (10) Achieve knowledge transfer

7. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks National Strategy: Final Action Plan 2009/10 of Current Strategy – expires in 2010. Based on safe system framework: 4 elements. Safer Speeds Safer Roads and Roadsides Safer Vehicles Safer Road Users and safer Behaviours

8. Safe system approach

9. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks Safer Speeds Develop best practice speed management strategy. Implement best practice enforcement measures, (point-to-point and other automatic speed detection), with unmarked enforcement and tight enforcement tolerances. Identify high-risk roads for speed limit reductions (road improvements not feasible in short term) Implement high profile mass public education campaigns about safer speeds Work towards introducing advisory intelligent speed adaptation technology. Improve heavy vehicle speed compliance

10. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks Safer Roads and Roadsides Establish consistent risk-based approach to investment Develop programs/ trials for targeted safety upgrades of higher-risk sections. Maintain/ increase current level of investment in black spot programs. Implement route risk assessment/ treatment programs for major routes to address run-off-road crashes. Develop road-to-vehicle technology solutions for single vehicle crash problems. Adopt Safe System approach as priority from conception to completion of new road works.

11. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks Safer Vehicles Require Electronic Stability Control (ESC) technology. Encourage consumers to purchase vehicles with ESC, side impact head protection, seatbelt reminder systems, ISA and other safety technologies Investigate emerging collision avoidance, fatigue management and other technologies. Governments to:- implement safer vehicle fleet purchasing policies - encourage private sector to adopt similar policies. - explore partnerships with the vehicle industry to improve vehicle safety. Continue support for (ANCAP) and public awareness and Implement ‘Stars on Cars’ program to provide consumers with those ratings. Develop framework for adoption of ISA technology

12. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks Safer Road Users and safer behaviours DRINK DRIVING: Improving effectiveness of enforcement and public education SEAT BELT WEARING: Increase enforcement Encourage inclusion of seatbelt reminder systems Select new government fleets with effective seatbelt warning systems Promote Road Rules making drivers responsible for passengers’ use of restraints, and requiring child restraints up to age seven. Increase education on importance of using appropriate/ correctly fitted child restraints . FATIGUE AND DISTRACTION: Raise awareness of driver fatigue and distraction Prevent fatigued workers driving from workplaces, or during their work. Enforce non -use of hand-held mobile phones while driving, and discourage any type of mobile phone use while driving, particularly for novice drivers. Promote installation of engineering treatments known to address loss of control crashes.

13. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks • Safe system requires us to change our thinking from single issues to: “managing the interactions between road infrastructure, vehicle systems and travel speeds to reduce risk of crash outcomes which would result in serious injury”

14. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks

15. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networksCrashrisk characteristics on roadsCrash risk vs. road and roadside standard and travel speed (single carriageway rural roads)M.Taylor et al, TRL, 2002

16. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks Current trends The importance of a clear vision Western Australia – “Towards Zero” Statement to Parliament, 19 March, 2009 by Minister for Road Safety 26

17. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks - Current trends WA – “Towards Zero” “Today I ask members to take the moral high ground. I ask members to refuse to accept that death and serious injury are an inevitable result of using our road system; they are certainly not acceptable consequences. Towards Zero is our bold new road safety strategy for Western Australia, and its core theme is that we should never accept road trauma as a fact of life. It will challenge us to strive for zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads.” 27

18. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks What is actually happening in Australian States re infrastructure safety? Safer Speeds Some states implementing demonstration projects, eg. 90 km/h speed limits (from100) on open rural roads: lowering limits from 60 km/h to 40 km/h in some high pedestrian areas (but only 1 capital city CBD) reducing some urban arterial road limits from 80 km/h to 70 km/h

19. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks What is actually happening in Australian States re infrastructure safety? Safer Roads and Roadsides (Massive network length) Extensive road side hazard removal or barrier installation and paved shoulder extension Tactile edgelining and centrelining installation Roundabout installation Platform installation at pedestrian crossings Revision of design guidelines, SPI development

20. Australian road safety strategies and safe system roadnetworks - Safer Roads and Roadsides

21. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks What is actually happening in Australian States re infrastructure related safety? Safer Vehicles Active promotion of: ESC Side head protecting airbags ANCAP crash safety ratings

22. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks What is actually happening in Australian States re infrastructure related safety? Safer Road Users and Behaviours Active, good practice initiatives to address: Drink driving and drugs Speeding Non wearing of seat belts and helmets Novice driver risks Fatigue and distraction

23. Safe system approachImproving future performance to deliver increased ambition • Intermediate outcome/ safety performanceindicators • Building understanding of benefits of use • Defining measures for use • Measuring progress towards a safe system

24. Safe system approachImproving future performance to deliver increased ambition Consider what is required to achieve a “safe system”, ie., to make the system safe – and work towards it! Review and strengthen safety management capacity Set robust performance indicators, interim strategies & targets to move – over time - towards the elimination vision

25. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networks Summary: Know your major crash risks on your network by type Seek compliant behaviours from users Understand the importance of the link between infrastructure, vehicle travel speed and vehicle safety features for those various major crash types. Push/ modify the system elements in the directions that will (1) reduce crashes (2) bring down impact severity Monitor your performance Develop/ use tools – eg., iRAP – which can compensate for lack of crash data

26. Australian road safety strategies and safe system road networksTHANK YOU Eric Howard Principal Eric Howard and Associates