Post on 19-May-2015
Welcome to the Road Safety Engineering Workshop – Surabaya, 30th & 31th May 2012
Surabaya 30th & 31th May 2012
An introduction to road safety
engineering
Phillip Jordan, Consultant
Road Safety International Pty Ltd
My Objectives:
• To outline briefly the problem of road safety -
globally and in Indonesia
• To outline “road safety engineering”
• To emphasise the important role of the road in
road safety
• To encourage you to design, construct and
manage safer roads
Introduction to road safety engineering
A Global Problem
• 1.3 million deaths each year on roads of the world (about
3600 per day, or 150 per hour, or more than 2 per minute !)
• Over 15 million are seriously injured
Introduction to road safety engineering
The WHO predicts that by 2020 there will be 2.3 million
traffic crash deaths worldwide, constituting 27.4% of all
injury related deaths
90% of these will occur in low and middle income
countries
For example, Indonesia had 34,000 fatalities in
2011(Police figures)
By 2020 that may be up to 60,000 deaths
A Global Problem
Global road safety - Phillip Jordan
An Indonesian Problem
• Some 34,000 deaths each year on the roads of Indonesia
• Over 250,000 are injured (that’s 700 per day)
• 61% of deaths are motorcyclists
• 15 -20% of deaths are pedestrians
• Numbers are increasing!
Introduction to road safety engineering
Motorcyclists Males
An Indonesian Problem
An Indonesian Problem
Victoria had a serious safety problem 40 years ago
• In 1970, 1061 people died on the roads of Victoria (a rate of about 9 deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles)
• Legislation, public awareness, engineering and co-ordination between agencies has reduced this figure.
• In 2011, 287 people died on Victoria’s roads
(a rate of 0.9 deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles)
There is hope !
Introduction to road safety engineering
What is road safety engineering?
Road safety engineering is:
“the modification of the physical road environment, using proven processes and techniques, that endeavours to reduce risk for all road users”
Introduction to road safety engineering
What is road safety engineering?
A profession that combines:
• Traffic engineering
• Road design
• Human factors
• Detailed analysis
• Reactive processes
• Proactive processes
• Lots of judgment
Introduction to road safety engineering
What is road safety engineering?
The two main processes in RSE are:
• Blackspot investigation (a reactive process) – relies on the
crash record for a site, and aims to reduce the crash frequency
and/or severity at that site.
• Road safety audit (a proactive process) – takes the same skills
but applies them during the design stages of a new road project
to prevent crashes.
Introduction to road safety engineering
Introduction to road safety engineering
Some engineers in the past have blamed all crashes
on the human – the drivers, the pedestrians, the
motorcyclists.
These engineers have not understood that they have
a vital role to play in reducing crashes.
Improvements to the road are some of the most cost-
effective things to do to improve safety.
For example – in Australia, the National Road Safety Strategy has road
improvements (blackspots etc) to be the highest priority
Crashes involve....
• Humans
• Vehicles
• Roads Introduction to road safety engineering
Introduction to road safety engineering
The Haddon Matrix
If you have a location on a highway where many crashes occur, you might.....
• Do nothing – its not your job!
• Blame the drivers/riders
• Ask the Police to enforce the road rules there
• Work with the local community and teachers to educate drivers/riders and pedestrians about road safety
• Ask DGLT to inspect all the vehicles at the location and take the unsafe ones off the road
• Ask the local hospital to improve their emergency services
Introduction to road safety engineering
If you have a location on a highway where many crashes occur, you might.....
• Or maybe you are enlightened and you will understand that you have a blackspot on your highway.
• You will get as much Police crash data as possible.
• You will read it, prepare a collision diagram and a crash factor grid.
• You will be a detective and look for patterns in the crashes (types of crashes, time of day, weather conditions, day vs night)
• Then you will develop low cost countermeasures that address the main patterns of crashes
Introduction to road safety engineering
• If so – you will be acting responsibly and will be helping to reduce the crashes and the crash severity at your problem site
• This is what crash investigation is all about.
Introduction to road safety engineering
Many differences, many
similarities
• There are many different roads around the world
• There are many different road users also
Introduction to road safety engineering
Many differences, many
similarities
• Some countries drive on the left side, some drive on
the right side.
• A few drive on both sides!!! - joking
• Some countries have good crash reporting systems,
some do not.
• Some have many motorcycles – some do not
• Some have many different road users – some don’t.
• What lessons are there for Indonesia from other
countries?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Introduction to road safety engineering
Roads and users may differ, but safety is a global problem
Which country is this?
Many differences, many
similarities
What lessons are there for Indonesia from other countries?
1. Road safety is a business – you must show economic benefits from your
work.
2. Road crashes cost the Indonesian community a lot of money – almost
3% of GDP.
3. Road safety takes a long time to improve – but the sooner we start, the
sooner Indonesia will benefit from safer roads and lower trauma costs.
4. You can have a life long career in road safety engineering.
5. Improving blackspots is one of the most cost effective things you can do.
Introduction to road safety engineering
What is a Road Crash?
“a rare, random, multi-factorial event in which one or more road users has failed to cope with their environment.”
Introduction to road safety engineering
Introduction to road safety engineering
Road crash definition
road crashes are :-
rare - 1 in 200 people injured every year
random - impossible to predict where and when
the next crash will happen
multi-factor - combination of behavioural, vehicle
and highway factors.
Accident implies that :
• the cause was unpredictable
• no human could have done anything to prevent it
• it is outside of our “control”
• It was in the “hands of the gods”
Introduction to road safety engineering
These are crashes –
they are not “accidents”
We should use the word “CRASH”
But a road crash:
• Can have “things” done to prevent it
• Is within our “control”
• Can be prevented
• Is related closely to risk, and is predictable
Introduction to road safety engineering
We should use the word “CRASH”
Introduction to road safety engineering
Road safety is a global problem
Introduction to road safety engineering
Road safety is a global problem
Road safety engineers can make a vital contribution to road safety in Indonesia.
Please remember…….
Putting the road into road safety
Introduction to road safety engineering
LESSON 1: Engineers can improve safety by
making low cost improvements at blackspots
We eliminate blackspots with treatments such as:
• Signs
• Line markings
• Intersection improvements
• Street lighting
• Barriers and roadside hazard improvements
• These can be summarised into 5 actions.....
Introduction to road safety engineering
Introduction to road safety engineering
warn
inform
guide
control
forgive
..... create a road
environment which warns,
informs, guides and
controls all road users, but
forgives them when they
make a mistake
Road safety engineers should....
warn
inform
guide
control
forgive
Road safety engineers should....
• warn
• inform
• guide
• control
• forgive
Road safety engineers should....
TOO GENERAL
SHOULD ONLY BE USED IF THE BRIDGE IS NARROWER THAN
THE ROAD
Introduction to road safety engineering
Road safety engineers should…
What is this warning of ?
warn
inform
guide
control
forgive
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
TOO GENERAL
Good warning signs must be:
- specific (not general)
- well located – not too close, not too far, not hidden
- sometimes repeated/duplicated
- reflective (for night time safety)
- well maintained
LESSON 2: Engineers improve safety by
correctly using warning signs
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
RHS
Road safety engineers should....
Roundabout
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Confirmation signage
Good information is:
- provided when and where it is needed
- able to be read easily
- sometimes repeated (especially on high speed roads)
- reflective (for night time safety)
- well maintained
LESSON 3: Engineers improve safety by
providing good, timely information
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
CAM’s, guide posts, edge lines, centre lines
Guide post
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
??
One CAM only, we need a series of CAM’s. Use plastic signs if these get stolen.
Introduction to road safety engineering
Plastic guide post
Road safety engineers should…
warn
inform
guide
control
forgive
Introduction to road safety engineering
R/C guide posts
Road safety engineers should…
warn
inform
guide
control
forgive X
Good guidance must be:
- continuous through a curve and along a route
- consistent across a network (not only at some
places, and not others)
- standardised where possible
- reflective (for night time safety)
LESSON 4: Engineers improve safety by
providing good guidance to road users
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Speed restriction sign
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Traffic signals
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Roundabout
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Railway crossing signals
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Regulatory traffic signs
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
??
Road safety engineers should....
Even this badly maintained sign can be recognised as a Stop sign
Good traffic control must be:
- enforceable by Police (legally compliant)
- standardised – all signals the same colour, all
signs the same shape/colour
- well located – highly visible
- well maintained
(why are so many traffic signals out of action in Indonesia?)
LESSON 5: Engineers improve safety by
providing correct traffic control
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Sealed shoulders
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Driveable roadsides
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
This is NOT forgiving
X
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
This is NOT forgiving
X
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Crash cushions
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Crash barriers
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Wire rope safety barriers
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Crash barriers – if used they must be correctly installed and maintained
X
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Deep drains are not forgiving – if used they must be covered and maintained
X
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
Road safety engineers should....
Slip based lighting columns
o warn
o inform
o guide
o control
o forgive
??
Road safety engineers should....
Sometimes we simply need a new highway!
A “forgiving” road is one that:
- does all that is possible to keep the vehicles
on the road
- has driveable side slopes, no uncovered
drains nearby
- removes or relocates roadside hazards
- uses forgiving roadside furniture
- has crash barrier only where really needed
LESSON 6: Engineers improve safety by
providing a forgiving road
Barriers should only be the last option – and if used they
must be correctly installed and maintained:
- located well off the road
- correct height, long enough to shield the
hazard
- safe terminals (most terminals are not safe in Indonesia)
- good reflectors (for night time safety)
- well maintained
LESSON 7: Engineers improve safety by installing
crash barriers only where really necessary
There will be more on these topics in the remainder of this workshop
Introduction to road safety engineering
Road safety engineering – has
a big future in Indonesia:
I look forward to detailing the blackspot
process next – are there any questions?
Introduction to road safety engineering