ROAD SAFETY:ROAD SAFETY:WHAT NEXT? WHAT NEXT?

Ken Ogden Engineers Australia

National Committee for Transport

Road Trauma

• 1.2 million deaths p.a. worldwide (WHO)• average 5 people killed every day in

Australia• and another 60 injured• Economic cost (BTCE - $15b p.a.)

Engineers: A key role

Engineering Profession

• Key part of solution • Other professions• Multi-disciplinary approach

Definition‘ A rare, random, multi-factor event always preceded

by a situation in which one or more persons have failed to cope with their environment’UK Department of Transport (1986) Accident Investigation Manual

Therefore the road environment should:– assist driver to make correct decision– be forgiving of driver error– lessen consequences if crash occurs

Road Safety Initiatives - Vic

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1970- Compulsory w earing of seatbelts

1976: Compulsory child seat restraints, Random breath tresting stations

introfduced1986: Speed cameras introduced

1989: Excessive speed legislation,Intense enforcement operation, TAC media campaigns

1990: High profile Booze buses introduced

1974- Compulsory BAC analysis of crash victims over 14

1981: Compulsory seatbelts for children, introduction of

RADAR

1983: Red light cameras, Old Booze buses introduced

1984: Zero BAC for P and L plate drivers

1991: Road safety co-ordination strategy, Community road safety councils introduced

1993: Mobile radar introduced to rural Vic

1996: Laser speed measuring device introduced

2000: 50km/h default urban speed limit introduced

Safer Systems Framework

• Holistic approach to the transport system and its failures

• Humans are not perfect decision makers• Safety can be built into the system• Vehicles and roads must be compatible

with the human element• Morally unacceptable to deliberately plan

for a certain level of road trauma

Safer Systems

• Well-understood in other sectors• No longer acceptable to plan for a given

level of fatalities• Safety is built in• Any fatality is an aberration

“Vision Zero”

• A law-abiding motorist in a safe modern car should not die as a result of a crash

• 4 – 5 star drivers, cars and roads• The road is engineered to prevent

crashes, and minimize consequences if they occur

3 Strategic Initiatives

• Building safety into the road system• Widespread adoption of electronic stability

control (ESC) systems• Focussing on aberrant and extreme driver

behaviour

Safer Roads

• Infrastructure - 50% of the reduction in the road toll

• Most of our road system laid down in the 1950’s & 1060’s

• Safety was not then the key priority – need to retrofit

• Black spots first • Then mass action

Safer Roads

• Techniques are known and practised– sealed shoulders– safer intersections– roadside hazards– overtaking lanes– divided roads

Political Will

• Retrofitting for safety requires substantial funding

• Dependent on political will• Response to community ‘grassroots’

concern

Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP)

• Aim is to heighten public awareness • Demonstrate the benefits achievable through

safer roads programs• “Some roads are safer than others and here’s

why”• Hence create community demand for funding:

political response• Future: “cooperative systems” where vehicles

and infrastructure communicate with each other

Safer roads - key actions

• Raise community awareness of the importance of road infrastructure in road safety

• Fund improvements (often low-key and unglamorous, but highly effective)

• Extend black spot funding to mass action programs

Electronic Stability Control

• Most significant initiative since seatbelts!• Essentially the driver cannot lose control

of the vehicle• 40% of crashes involve loss of control• Enormous potential safety benefits of this

technology

Electronic Stability Control

• Challenge – to get more ESC-equipped cars on the road

• Europe – 80% of new cars, but Australia 25-30%

• Aim to have ESC as standard on all models, not just luxury models

• Consumer pressure (including fleets – an OH&S issue)

ESC – key actions

• Maximize sales of ESC-equipped cars- consumer awareness- fleet purchase policies- promotion by safety agencies

• Develop an objective measure-of-performance of ESC

• Mandate on new vehicles

Aberrant Behaviour• Switch emphasis from the whole driving

population to those who consistently demonstrate illegal or extreme behaviour

• Education and enforcement – Speed – Alcohol– Drugs?– Fatigue?– Hand-held mobile phones?

Education & Enforcement

• Successful – high degree of compliance• Government revenue – fines• Public perception – more about revenue

than safety?• Must continue, but maybe we’ve reached

a point of diminishing returns

Driver Behaviour• Most drivers try to do the right thing • Small percentage (2-4%) show consistently

aberrant behaviour- speed- alcohol and illicit drugs- seat belts- unlicensed drives- unregistered vehicles

• These drivers are over-represented in road toll

Technology

• Alcohol ignition interlocks• Electronic licenses and automated number

plate recognition• Future: ensure that the driver and vehicle

are compliant• Applied to those who show disregard for

the law and society

Aberrant behaviour - actions

• Research to dimension and define the problems

• Develop appropriate technological and enforcement countermeasures

Challenge – Vision Zero

• Embrace the safer systems philosophy, where every fatal crash is seen as an aberration and a system failure

• Aim for “vision zero” – 5 star drivers, cars and roads