Road Safety in Australia

Joe MothaGeneral Manager, Road Safety and ProgramsDepartment of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

24 November 2009

The scale of the problem

• Average of 1,619 deaths per year over 2001-2008 (2008:1,466 deaths)

• Average of 4 deaths per day• Average of 30,000 hospitalisations per year

over 2001-2007 (82 per day)• Costs $18 billion per year

The Australian context

• Federal system (Commonwealth Govt; 6 states; 2 territories)• Big country with vast road network; large cities• Low population density• High proportion of inter-city roads are single carriageway• High rate of vehicle ownership and usage ( 2 vehicles per 3 people ) • Relatively low reliance on public transport• Heavy reliance on roads for freight transport (and rapid freight growth)• Motorcycles: 1.1% of vehicle-kilometres, 16% of road deaths• Old vehicles (average age of passenger cars ≈ 10 years) • Population road fatality rate below OECD median (since about 1990)

Road safety responsibility

• Commonwealth– Road funding, black spots funding, vehicle standards, research,

statistics, national coordination, public education• States/Territories

– Road funding, road construction, road rules, traffic police, driver licensing, public education, vehicle registration, research and statistics

• Local government – Local roads and community road safety programs

Bodies with road safety policy responsibilities

• Australian Transport Council (Ministers)• Standing Committee on Transport – SCOT (heads of

Commonwealth and state/territory road agencies)• SCOT Safety Standing Sub-Committee - SSSC (senior officials of

Commonwealth and state/territory road agencies)• National Road Safety Executive Group – NRSEG (Road Safety

Managers of Commonwealth and states/territories)• National Road Safety Council – NRSC (advisory body to ATC)• State/territory governments• State/territory road and traffic agencies

National Road Safety Council

• Seven members (including Chair)• Advisory body to ATC• Facilitate timely and effective implementation of road safety

measures agreed by ATC• Raise profile of road safety as major public health issue• Engage with stakeholders• Contribute to development of road safety initiatives, including

National Road Safety Strategy• Four Ambassadors appointed by Minister to raise profile and

support Council’s work

Indicates formal reporting links Indicates communication links Blue shading identifies key road safety elements

Council of Australian Governments (COAG)

Australian Transport Council (ATC)

Federal, state and territory government ministers with transport responsibilities

National Transport Commission (NTC)

Safety Standing Sub-Committee (Safety SSC) Develops advice and delivers agreed outcomes to improve the public health and social impacts of transport-related trauma.

National Road Safety Council (NRSC)

Facilitates and monitors implementation of agreed road safety priorities. Provides advice on road safety priorities as required. Consult/engage with stakeholders.

Austroads Council Provides technical advice and program coordination

Austroads Safety Taskforce Develops and manages the Austroads road safety research program.

National Road Safety Executive Group (NRSEG)

Provides advice on national road safety matters. Develops national road safety strategies and plans. Manages national road safety projects. Consults with stakeholders.

Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT)

Heads of transport agencies

Governance arrangements

Lead Agency

• Commonwealth: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

• Victoria: Vicroads• New South Wales: Centre for Road Safety,

Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW• Western Australia: Office of Road Safety

Governance: Victoria

• Lead agency: Vicroads• Ministerial Council: Minister for Roads and Ports; Minister for

Police and Emergency Services; Minister responsible for Transport Accident Commission (TAC)

• Road Safety Executive Group: Chief Executives of Vicroads, TAC, Assistant Commissioner of Traffic Police

• Road safety Management Group: Representatives of Vicroads, TAC, Victoria Police and Departments of Justice, Education and Training and Human Services.

• Other supporting structures eg trauma and emergency services, traffic safety education, Parliamentary Road Safety Committee

Governance: Western Australia

• Lead agency: Office of Road Safety (now within Dept of Transportand Main Roads)

• Ministerial Council: Ministers for Community Safety; Health; Education and Training; Local Government and regional Development; Planning and Infrastructure

• Road Safety Council: established under legislation to improve road safety with independent chair; Office of Road Safety; police; health; insurance; local government; auto club; local government; education and training; planning and infrastructure

• Functions: data monitoring; evaluating research and evidence; coordinating implementation of actions; evaluating effectiveness

International rankings

Long term trends

Measures that have reduced road trauma

• Seat belts: compulsory use since 1972– usage: 97% in front seats; 93% rear seats

• Random breath testing for alcohol + publicity• Speed enforcement (including mobile cameras) +

publicity• Compulsory helmets for bicycle and motorcycle riders• Road improvements - including ‘black spot’ programs• Safer vehicles: improved occupant protection• Graduated licensing (includes long learner period; zero

alcohol limit for novices)

Major initiatives

National Road Safety Strategy

• Coordinating road safety initiatives of federal, state, territory and local governments and other organisations

• Supported by two-yearly Action Plans

• Endorsed by ATC ministers• Individual jurisdictions develop

their own strategies within this framework

Target

40% reduction in number of deaths per 100,000 populationby 2010: 9.3 to no more than 5.6 deaths per 100,000 population

Target setting process

• Three approaches for target setting: - top-down or idealistic - based on ideal or aspirationalstandards- bottom-up or realistic - based on research and analysis; - balanced (combination of idealistic + realistic)

• Australian target was ‘bottom up’ – based on research and analysis

Composition of 40% reduction target

Two-year action plans

• 2001 and 2002 - 107 ‘possible measures’• 2003 and 2004 – smaller number of more focussed measures• 2005 and 2006 - ‘Safe System’ adopted with targeted actions

in key areas (roads and roadsides, speed, vehicles, road users and ‘other supporting measures’.

• 2007 and 2008 – ‘step down’ strategy to accelerate progress (two key areas: speed management and road engineering). ‘what is known’; ‘highest-impact actions’; ‘supporting actions’; ‘complementary actions under Safe System’ framework’; performance indicators.

• 2009 and 2010 - fine tuned previous action plan

Performance trend

Deaths and serious injuries

Indices of deaths by road user group

Deaths and serious injuries motorcyclists

Why are we off the mark? Some likely issues

• Economic factors (exposure patterns)– Growth in vehicle use (13% increase in VKT between 2000 and 2009)– Rapid increase in motorcycle usage and fatalities

• ‘Learning effects’ eroding impact of established enforcement programs− people learning when and where enforcement is likely or unlikely− offending without being caught can be a significant learning experience

• Increasing use of mobile phones while driving (2005: 47%; 2006: 55%; 2008:61%) and ‘infotainment’ systems

• Social and behavioural factors (‘hurry sickness’, distraction, inattention, fatigue)

• An important issue: Knowing/doing gap

Measures to accelerate progress in two recent Action Plans

• Speed management – Improving compliance with speed limits, and – selective reduction of limits on roads with a relatively high

crash rate

• Engineering measures to improve the safety of roads – Including black spot programs, and – targeted ‘mass application’ of cost-effective measures to

improve the safety of larger sections of the road network

The future: Embedding the Safe System approach

• Endorsed by ATC• Roads, vehicles, road user behaviour, speed

management• System designed such that crash forces are below

biomechanical tolerance of human body • Mistakes should not result in death or serious injury –

‘forgiving’ road environment• Road users: education, information – alert and

compliant road users• Compliance: enforcement and penalties

Safe System

Evolution of speed management

• 1970s and 1980s: low-intensity enforcement, focus on extreme speeding

• 1989 (Victoria): start of major campaign approach, combining:– more intensive enforcement (roaming covert speed cameras)– intensive media publicity (about enforcement and risks)

• 1990-97 roaming speed cameras and media campaigns in other states• from mid 1990s: increasing use of research evidence in media publicity and

increasing emphasis on risks of low-level speeding• 2001-2003: default urban speed limits reduced to 50 km/h• 2001-2002: crackdown in Victoria: more enforcement, tougher penalties, reduced

enforcement tolerances, ‘wipe off 5’ media campaign• 2003 onwards: increased use of fixed and mobile speed cameras (and introduction

of ‘point-to-point’ cameras) combined with publicity/education campaigns; increaseduse of 40 km/h speed limits in school zones and shopping precincts

Risk of crash involvement –Australian research

Magnitude of problem = risk x frequency

• Major’ speeding offences (>15 km/h over limit)– Relatively rare– high or extreme risk

significant safety problem

• ‘Low range’ speeding (<15 km/h over limit)– very common – substantial risk

significant safety problem

Impact of integrated speed management campaigns – Victoria and NSW

Impact of integrated alcohol-related campaign - NZ

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Enhanced enforcement and advertising - late 1995

Distraction

• Definition: Diversion of attention away from activities critical for safe driving toward a competing activity

• Visual; attentional; physical interference• Crash in Victoria on 31 December 2001• ADAS issues: behavioral adaptation; awareness of

system limitations; over-reliance; risk exposure; effects of automation

Distraction

• Technology: radio,CD, GPS, mobile phones –hand held and hands free, TV, a/c

• Non-technology: eating, smoking, grooming, passengers, music, reading, writing, seatbelt adjustment, fatigue, breast feeding

Distraction: what to do?

• Data: police report forms• Research• Education and publicity (eg hands free/hand held phones)• Training (eg learner drivers)• Legislation (eg bans on mobile phone use; fatigue laws for truck

drivers; chain of responsibility legislation)• Enforcement (eg automatic shut down of phones while in motion;

vehicle fleets)• Vehicle design (ARR 299, 300; ADR 42)• Fatigue (monitoring technology; rest areas)

Some initiatives

• National Speed Management Strategy (to be included in National Road Safety Strategy)

• ESC mandatory in new vehicles from Nov 2011• Mandatory front underrun protection for trucks

from 2011• Novice driver initiatives: keys2drive (see

keys2drive.com.au); P-Drivers project

Some initiatives

• Motorcycle and Scooter Safety Summit – April 2008

• Good Gear Guide• Black Spot Program since 1996 – BCRs of up

to 14• National Level Crossing Safety Strategy

New National Road Safety Strategy

• Strategy for 2011-2020 being developed• Research study for target setting• Ambitious long-term vision• Targets for deaths and serious injuries • Performance monitoring framework• Incorporate speed management strategy

Speed management strategy

• Ambitious speed management vision consistent with Safe System principles (To achieve travel speeds on Australian roads that maximise mobility consistent with safe travel)

• Build community understanding and preparedness for change

• Determine appropriate ranges of traffic speed• Invest in infrastructure and/or lower speed limits• Achieve compliance with speed limits through enforcement

and use of vehicle technology

Critical success factors

• Comprehensive approach (Safe System): road user behaviour, infrastructure, vehicles and travel speeds

• an evidence-based approach: good data and research• explicit targets: based on a realistic assessment of what can be

achieved, with effort• coordinated effort: collaboration/partnerships between different

levels of government; different government sectors, and among government, industry and community groups

• Implementation: strong political will• monitoring and review: Evaluation of outcomes and ongoing

performance monitoring

2010 road safety conference

• Canberra, 1-3 September 2009• Theme: Safe System – from knowledge to

action

More information

• www.infrastructure.gov.au

• Joe.motha@infrastructure.gov.au