|
Paper Title:
A Collaborative Approach
to Australian Road Safety
View
full paper
Authors:
Laurie Sparke
Abstract:
In November 2000, the
federal government adopted the National Road Safety Strategy, a
road safety initiative to link the policies of all major bodies
involved in road safety: Federal/ State/Territory/ Local governments,
health and education agencies, police, vehicle manufacturers, transport
industries, motorist associations, insurers, and community groups.
The Strategy contains the target of reducing the road fatality by
40% in 10 years by -
- Safer roads 19%
- Improved vehicle occupant protection 10%
- New technology to reduce human error 2%
- Improved road user behaviour 9%
A focus on road fatality reduction has been a useful strategy in
the past, and has generated effective initiatives such as seat belt
wearing legislation and drink-driving campaigns. However, the benefits
from these individual strategies has plateaued, and a more comprehensive
approach is needed if the gains identified in the National Road
Safety Strategy are to be achieved. A crash represents a failure
of the Australian transportation system. Effective solutions must
address the system, not just the car or the driver in isolation.
This requires an improved understanding of the causes of crashes,
by conducting crash investigations involving experts from all stakeholders
(Government, Manufacturers, Motoring Clubs, TAC, AMA, Road Designers,
Police Forces) to establish what caused the transportation system
to fail, what improvements are needed and in what priority. Drivers
will make mistakes and misjudgments. These misjudgments and mistakes
could be reduced by appropriate, improved training and licensing.
Road designers can contribute by recognising that these driver mistakes
occur, and by providing road designs that assists the driver in
making judgements, and reduce the consequences of misjudgment (improved
markings and instructions, better shaped and divided travel paths).
There are a range of hazards which cannot be addressed by any current
or future vehicle technology, such as highway speed impacts with
poles, trees or light pole bases (such as Eastern Freeway). These
hazards need to be address by changes to the road infrastructure.
Car design will never provide infallibility. However, vehicle design
can provide improved protection from identified risks, including
reduced aggression in crashes with more vulnerable road users, and
increased compatibility between vehicle and road design. The objective
of future initiatives must be to reduce Harm to the Australian community
(injury reduction), not just fatality reduction. Although the 'road
toll' provides an emotive headline to give focus to a critical public
health issue, in reality the Harm caused by long term and irrecoverable
injuries to the brain and neck represents a greater community cost.
There is potential for new and more effective road safety approaches,
based on field data that identifies the risks on Australian roads,
that can provide important support to the National Road Safety Strategy.
View
full paper
Back
to Program
|
