Evaluation of the 1992-1996 Transport Accident Commission funded accident black spot treatment program in Victoria

Monash University Accident Research Centre - Report #182 - 2001

Full report in .pdf format [857KB]

Authors:  S.V. Newstead & B. F. Corben

Abstract:

This report presents the results of an evaluation of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) funded Accident Black Spot Program, implemented during 1992 to 1996. More than 550 hazardous locations throughout Victoria were treated at a cost of $85m. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the TAC-funded program in terms of reductions in casualty crashes and casualty crash costs at treated locations, and the economic worth of treatments. The evaluation addressed the economic impacts on the community and examined effectiveness by treatment type.

The results showed the Program has been effective overall, yielding positive outcomes for the community. In summary, the Program has reduced reported casualty crash numbers by 26.4%, and has reduced casualty crash costs to the community by 29.6%. Over its full life, the program was estimated to deliver safety benefits to the community 4.1 times program costs, rising to 5.1 times the program costs if seven high-cost treatments, funded within the program for reasons in addition to poor casualty crash record alone, are excluded. Expressed differently, the Program was estimated to achieve a Net Present Worth of $274m for the community or $277m if the seven high-cost sites are excluded from the evaluation. Evaluation of the program has identified some treatment types that were highly successful, while others seem to have been unsuccessful or have not been shown to be successful because of insufficient numbers of sites having undergone these treatment types in the program.

The results of the evaluation provide a reliable and objective basis for enhancing strategies for future investment in road infrastructure safety.

Executive Summary

This report presents the results of an evaluation of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) funded Accident Black Spot Program, implemented during 1992 to 1996. 559 hazardous locations throughout Victoria were treated at a cost of $85m. The performance of black spot programs relies heavily on systematic and rigorous methods for identifying hazardous road locations and on implementing appropriate treatment types that target predominant casualty crash types. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the TAC-funded program in terms of reductions in casualty crashes at treated locations, and the economic worth of treatments. The evaluation addressed the economic impacts on the community, and examined effectiveness by treatment type. The results provide the TAC, VicRoads and other responsible agencies with reliable, objective information for enhancing strategies for future road safety investment. The major findings from the evaluation are summarised below:

1. Overall

The results showed the Program has been effective overall, reducing reported casualty crash numbers by 26.4%, and reducing casualty crash costs to the community by 29.6%. Over its full life, the Program was estimated to deliver safety benefits to the community 4.1 times Program costs, rising to 5.1 times the program cost if seven high-cost treatments (included in the program for reasons in addition to poor casualty crash record alone) are excluded. Expressed differently, the Program was estimated to achieve a Net Present Worth of $274m for the community or $277m if the seven high-cost-sites are excluded from the evaluation.

2. By Treatment Type

In order to address a wide range of casualty crash circumstances, the Program comprised 56 specific different types of treatments grouped into 21 more general treatment groups. A number of specific treatment types as well as broader treatment groups were highly effective in reducing casualty crash frequencies and costs. Several treatment types or groups were found to be successful in terms of their economic worth to the community. Relevant estimates are summarised in Tables I and II, below. Other treatment types appear not to have reduced casualty crash frequencies or costs and their future use requires careful reassessment.

3. Conclusions

In aggregate, the Program produced positive outcomes for the community. Over its full life, the Program is expected to deliver savings to the community of 4.1 times the investment in the Program. Some treatment types were highly successful; others had insufficient numbers of treated sites to be able to show genuine success, while others appear to have been unsuccessful. There have been two main benefits of the Program and its subsequent evaluation. Firstly, there are immediate benefits in the form of an estimated saving of over 590 casualty crashes per annum at treated locations. Secondly, there are long term benefits in the form of continued improvement in the performance of future black spot programs, achievable through more sharply focused investment strategies. These strategies should be based on greater use of treatments found to be highly successful in this program. At the same time, there should be a reduced emphasis in black spot programs on some treatment types and, in some cases, further research on countermeasure types that have not demonstrated successful outcomes.

Table I:  Estimated Reductions in Casualty Crash Frequencies and Costs by Treatment Type (results statistically reliable at better than 95% confidence)

N/S = Not statistically significant at the 5% level

Table II: Estimated Economic Worth by Treatment Type (results statistically reliable at better than 95% confidence)