Title: Road safety in Australia: approaches and outcomes
1Road safety in Australia approaches and
outcomes Joe Motha Australia
2Road 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
3Australia 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
4Early 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)
5Public 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
6Progress 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)
7Road deaths per 100 000 population, OECD median
and Australia 1975 to 2005
8Road deaths per 100 000 population, OECD nations
and Australia, 2005
9National 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
10National 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
11National 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)
12Basis 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
13Action 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
14Action 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
15Action Plans
- Safe Systems framework
- getting the right combination of
- safety of roads and roadsides
- speed management
- vehicle design
- safe road user behaviour
16Enforcement and penalties
Education and information
Licensing
17Enforcement and penalties
Deaths and injuries
Education and information
Mistakes
Licensing
18SAFE 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
19Safe Systems
People make mistakes
System must allow for this
20Special 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
21Special groups and general measures
22Is Australia on target?
23Measuring 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
24Measuring progress
25Exposure 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)?
27Was 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
28Was 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
29Victorias campaign on speeding results
30Why 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
31Further 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)