road safety what next by ken ogden
TRANSCRIPT
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