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Road safety in Australia: approaches and outcomes

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Road safety in Australia: approaches and outcomes Joe Motha Australia Road safety in Australia: background Three levels of government: Australian Government 8 state ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Road safety in Australia: approaches and outcomes


1
Road safety in Australia approaches and
outcomes Joe Motha Australia
2
Road safety in Australia background
  • Three levels of government
  • Australian Government
  • 8 state/territory governments
  • more than 600 local governments
  • State/territory governments have the main
    responsibility for many road safety activities
  • Road safety policy is coordinated at a national
    level
  • the Australian Government does not control what
    the states do, but it can influence decisions

3
Australia background
  • Big country, low population density
  • less money per kilometre of road than most
    high-income economies
  • High rate of vehicle ownership and usage (2
    vehicles for every 3 people)
  • Motorcycles only 0.7 of vehicle kilometres
    (but 15 of road deaths)
  • Road transport growth is slower than in rapidly
    developing countries

4
Early introduction of major behavioural measures
  • Motorcycle helmets compulsory since 1960
    (Victoria)
  • Seat belts compulsory since early 1970s
  • Random breath testing for alcohol since 1976-1988
  • .05 BAC alcohol limit since 1976-1992
  • Mobile speed cameras since 1988-1997
  • Compulsory bicycle helmets since 1990-1992
  • (Dates vary by state/territory)

5
Public support for tough laws to improve road
safety
  • 98 support for Random Breath Testing (alcohol)
  • gt 95 seat belt use (front seats)
  • very few motorcyclists without helmets
  • surveys show increasing support for strict speed
    management

6
Progress the long-term view
  • For the last 36 years, Australias road death
    rate has been going down
  • in 1970 30.4 deaths per 100,000 people
  • in 2006 7.8 deaths per 100,000 people
  • Population road death rate below OECD median
    (since about 1990)

7
Road deaths per 100 000 population, OECD median
and Australia 1975 to 2005
8
Road deaths per 100 000 population, OECD nations
and Australia, 2005
9
National strategy
  • First National Road Safety Strategy 1992 2000
  • Principles
  • Coordination, cooperation and consultation
    between different government agencies, private
    sector, community
  • Research-based approach focus on cost-effective
    measures
  • Harmonise approaches, but leave opportunities for
    experimentation and innovation
  • Comprehensive approach safer vehicles, safer
    roads, safer road user behaviour, better
    emergency treatment rehabilitation

10
National Road Safety Strategy 2001-2010
  • Joint strategy involving all levels of government
    and other stakeholders
  • Approved by Federal and State Transport Ministers
    in late 2000
  • Series of two-year action plans, providing a
    focus on priority issues

11
National Road Safety Strategy 2001-2010
  • Target
  • 40 reduction in the number of road deaths per
    100,000 population by end 2010 (to 5.6 max)

12
Basis of target
  • Based on estimates of the effects of known
    measures
  • evidence
  • analysis
  • expert judgement
  • Focus on measures likely to be possible to
    implement and cost-effective
  • 40 was seen as challenging, but possible

13
Action Plan priorities
  • Two very important areas
  • Speed management
  • fewer people driving above speed limits
  • lower limits on roads with high crash rates
  • Engineering measures to improve the safety of
    roads
  • Fix high-risk black spots
  • Mass application of cost-effective measures to
    improve the safety of larger parts of the road
    network
  • Major road upgrades

14
Action Plans
  • Other important action areas
  • Impaired driving
  • Alcohol
  • Drugs
  • Fatigue
  • Vehicle safety
  • Includes encouraging vehicle buyers (companies
    and individuals) to select safer vehicles
  • Licensing and driver management

15
Action Plans
  • Safe Systems framework
  • getting the right combination of
  • safety of roads and roadsides
  • speed management
  • vehicle design
  • safe road user behaviour

16
Enforcement and penalties
Education and information
Licensing
17
Enforcement and penalties
Deaths and injuries
Education and information
Mistakes
Licensing
18
SAFE SYSTEM
Enforcement and penalties
Safer roads and roadsides
Alert, sober road users who obey the rules
Safer travel
Education and information
People survive mistakes
Licensing
19
Safe Systems
People make mistakes
System must allow for this
20
Special groups
  • Action Plan includes some group-specific actions
    for special groups
  • but notes that
  • general measures are often very important for
    specific groups and issues

21
Special groups and general measures
22
Is Australia on target?
23
Measuring progress
  • Steady progress toward the target would require a
    5 reduction in the fatality rate each year
  • On that basis, the cumulative reduction by the
    end of May 2007 should have been 27.9

24
Measuring progress
25
Exposure factors
  • Unexpected increase in motorcycle usage and
    motorcycle deaths
  • motorcycle deaths have increased by 36 since
    1999(22 since 2004)
  • the trend in motorcycle deaths accounts for about
    two-fifths of the current gap between the total
    fatality rate and the pro-rata target
  • Total vehicle use increasing slightly faster than
    we had predicted

26
Other possible problems
  • Learning effects reducing effectiveness of
    enforcement?
  • people learning when and where enforcement is
    likely (or unlikely)
  • learning that they can offend without being
    caught
  • Increasing mobile phone use?
  • Underlying social factors (eg hurry sickness)?

27
Was the target unrealistic?
  • Two states have achieved reductions that are very
    close to the national pro-rata target for May
    2007
  • National pro-rata target 27.9 reduction to May
    2007
  • NSW reduction 27.2
  • SA reduction 27.3
  • In Victoria, which started with the lowest rate
    among the states, the rate has dropped by 24
    since December 2000

28
Was the target unrealistic?
  • In the 12 months to May 2007, two states (NSW and
    Victoria) had road death rates slightly below the
    national pro-rata target rate
  • National pro-rata target 6.7 deaths per 100,000
  • NSW and Victoria 6.6 deaths per 100,000
  • Victoria recorded a 31 reduction in the fatality
    rate in the two years to April 2004, mainly by
    using an unusually strict approach to speed
    enforcement

29
Victorias campaign on speeding results
30
Why are we above the national target?
  • National Road Safety Action Plan for 2007 2008
    notes that many cost-effective measures
  • have not been implemented
  • or
  • have not been implemented in all jurisdictions
  • or
  • have not been implemented on a sufficient scale
  • The target was an estimate of what could be
    achieved, not a forecast of what would be
    achieved

31
Further information
  • ATSB Road safety pages
  • http//www.atsb.gov.au/road/safety.aspx
  • National Strategy and Action Plans
  • http//www.atcouncil.gov.au/documents/atcnrss.aspx
  • Road Safety in Australia
  • - short overview
  • www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2006/Road_safety_in_A
    ust.aspx
  • - book
  • www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2006/pdf/Road_s
    afety_in_Aust.pdf (1943 Kb)
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