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Road Safety Strategies - the most fruitful directions

Road Safety Strategies - the most fruitful directions. Ian Johnston Director Monash University Accident Research Centre. S.A.: 1950-2000. We have come a long way BUT how well will our current strategies serve us in the future?.

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Road Safety Strategies - the most fruitful directions

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  1. Road Safety Strategies- the most fruitful directions Ian Johnston Director Monash University Accident Research Centre

  2. S.A.: 1950-2000

  3. We have come a long wayBUThow well will our current strategies serve us in the future?

  4. We have done most of the easy thingsANDwe are not even talking about the hard things

  5. Why is there such a large gap between road safety knowledge and action? • fundamentally because we value personal time/mobility far above community safety • which has created a personal transport milieu that is ultimately incompatible with a minimal road toll

  6. Exhibit 1- Community acceptance of a ‘quantum’ of road toll • the single largest cause of death in the first five decades of life • we value personal safety, not community safety • but we worry only about departures from the norm

  7. Exhibit 2- The “human failure” myth • our system of blame • lack of understanding of system design role • aided and abetted by “sectional interest”

  8. Exhibit 3- The “regulatory stick” era • mandated protection - seat belts - helmets • tough laws • intense enforcement • high penalties

  9. Great valuebut • alcohol - still 20-25% • 97% belt wearing but … • more ‘anti-social’ in a smaller road toll

  10. What’s left in the regulatory kit bag? • drugs? possibly • fatigue? unlikely • speed? absolutely, but

  11. Exhibit 4 - The speed management controversy • speed or speeding? • enforcement tolerances • camera rage • revenue raising

  12. Exhibit 5- The illusion of vehicle safety • excellent gains in crashworthinessBUT only modest levels of absolute protection • 30 km/h for pedestrians • 30-50 km/h for side impacts • 65-70 km/h for “head on”

  13. Exhibit 6 - The market dominance of power and performance • we design, build and market cars with performance potential way beyond what is legal or even feasible in traffic

  14. Red Zone

  15. Exhibit 7 - The illusion of safe road infrastructure • long lengths per taxpayer mean cost premium • little of road stock at high design standard • almost none at high roadside safety standard

  16. Exhibit 8- Our failure to deal with “run off road” • 4 in 10 deaths • alcohol, fatigue, distraction, speed • causes not consequences • the 80:20 rule

  17. What have we done? • improved alignment • sealed shoulders • tactile edgelines but these are ‘spot’ treatments not system wide approaches

  18. Hope beyond standards? • NCAP • AusRAP BUT consumer leadership is still in its infancy

  19. We need a sea change • We have most of the benefits from the “regulatory stick” • Crashworthiness gains are fewer and smaller • We don’t have the benefits of road infrastructure safety, particularly roadside safety

  20. My “Big ” 5 • two for now • three for the future

  21. NOW • Reduce urban travel speeds by 3-5 km/h • how? • value of forcing social change

  22. NOW • Programmaticimprovement in rural roadside safety

  23. FUTURE • Confront the “car culture” • the way cars are marketed • the way driving is viewed

  24. FUTURE • Strengthen the institutional accountabilities • to provide a safe infrastructure • have to break down the ‘blame’ mentality

  25. FUTURE • Develop real leadership • by government / industry • analogous to environment? • a ‘social responsibility’ model

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