road_safety_strategy arrive alive 2008-2017

victoria’s road safety strategy: arrive alive 2008-2017

Victorians are more likely to die violently as the result of a road crash than from anyother cause.

Victorians are more likely to die violently as the

result of a road crash than from any other cause.

Every life we lose on our roads is one too many.

Road trauma causes great pain and heartbreak

to those Victorians who lose family and friends

in road crashes – and places a huge economic

burden on our entire community.

arrive alive 2008-2017 sets out how the Victorian

Government will continue its leadership in road

safety to deliver a safer system for all road users

and make a significant reduction to road trauma.

Road safety is a shared responsibility and all

Victorians can contribute to safer roads and

safer driving behaviour.

By working together, we can substantially

reduce serious casualties from road crashes

and spare many Victorian families the grief of

suffering the loss or serious injury of a loved one

on our roads.

VICTORIA’S ROAD SAFETY STRATEGY: ARRIVE ALIVE 2008-2017 www.arriveal ive.v ic.gov.au2

CONTENTS 2

MESSAGEFROMTHEPREMIER 4

MESSAGEFROMTHEMINISTERS 6

HIGHLIGHTS 8

ROADSAFETYINVICTORIA 10

TOWARDSASAFESYSTEM 12

INVOLVINGALLVICTORIANS 14

1.SAFERROADSANDROADSIDES 16

1.1Run-off-roadcrashes 17

1.2Sideimpactcrashes 17

1.3Rear-endcrashes 17

1.4Head-oncrashes 18

1.5Levelcrossingcrashes 18

2.SAFERVEHICLES 20

3.SAFERROADUSERS 24

3.1Speedandspeeding 24

3.2Drinkdriving 26

3.3Drugdriving 28

3.4Fatigueddriving 30

3.5Driverdistraction 32

3.6Youngdrivers 34

3.7Olderdrivers 36

3.8Motorcyclists 38

3.9Pedestrians 40

3.10Cyclists 43

3.11Heavyvehicledrivers 44

contents


3.12Publictransportusers 46

3.13Countryroadusers 46

MAKINGTHESTRATEGYWORK 50

Howthestrategywillwork 50 Timeframe 50 Measuringperformance 50 Actionplans 50 Areasofaction 51 Communityeducationandawareness 51 Enforcementanddeterrence 51 Legislation 52 Roadsafetytechnology 52 Infrastructure 53 Licensing 53 Occupationalhealthandsafety(OHS)policies 54

Researchanddata 54

MANAGINGTHESTRATEGY 55

Partnerships 55

ROADSAFETYMANAGEMENTSTRUCTURE 56

Photos: VicRoads and Department of Infrastructure.


Road trauma has a devastating and long lasting impact on individuals, lowest road tolls since records began. Prior to the introduction of arrive alive the families and communities. For those who lose a loved one in a road crash – annual road toll was 444, compared to 332 in 2007, a reduction of 25 per cent. or those who are seriously injured or permanently disabled – the emotional

This achievement reflects not only the Government’s tough approach to and personal costs are immeasurable. Those personal costs extend to the road safety, but also the commitment of Victorian road users to driving police, paramedics and emergency workers who attend road crashes, and travelling more safely. However, we must not become complacent. and to the doctors and nurses who deal with the distressing consequences The fact remains that road trauma kills and maims thousands of of accidents.Victorians every year. More young people die from road crashes than from

In 1970 over a thousand Victorians lost their lives in road crashes. Since then, any other cause. Alongside those who lose their lives on our roads, over Victoria has made a strong and determined effort to reduce road trauma and 7,000 Victorians are seriously injured in road crashes each year. is recognised as a world leader in road safety. The introduction of compulsory

These people are part of our hidden road toll; the people who bear the seatbelts, random breath testing, improved roads, an effective speed enormous and often ongoing social costs, the personal and emotional pain management system and highly visible public advertising campaigns have all that road trauma creates.played a part in significantly improving road safety in our state.

Victoria’s new 10 year road safety strategy arrive alive 2008-2017 builds One of Victoria’s great success stories is the arrive alive strategy, which on the significant achievements of the 2002-2007 strategy. has played a vital part in substantially reducing the state’s road toll and has

prevented some 580 deaths. In the five years to 2007, Victoria recorded its

message from the premier


While continuing to deliver the successful elements of the arrive alive strategy, we are introducing new actions and initiatives to further improve road safety and create a safer transport system. By the end of the arrive alive 2008-2017 strategy, the Government aims to have reduced the road toll by 30 per cent. By the end of 2017 the strategy will save an extra 100 lives a year, prevent over 2,000 serious injuries a year and reduce the severity of serious injuries.

These new targets are ambitious and achieving them will require a partnership approach between the Government and the entire Victorian community.

The Victorian Government makes no apologies for being tough on road safety. But we also recognise that road safety is a shared community responsibility in which everyone has a part to play. I urge all Victorians to get behind the arrive alive 2008-2017 strategy and work together to reduce the senseless and unnecessary deaths and injuries on our roads.

John Brumby - Premier of Victoria


When it comes to road safety, Victorians have already achieved a great deal. But we can – and must – do more.

In 2006, the Government released the Meeting Our Transport Challenges action plan, which will invest an unprecedented $10.5 billion to improve Victoria’s transport system over the next decade. Meeting Our Transport Challenges provides a major boost in funding for road safety, including the development of a new road safety strategy. arrive alive 2008-2017 meets this commitment and delivers new actions and investments to further reduce the state’s road toll and improve safety on our roads.

arrive alive 2008-2017 builds on the strong foundation put in place by Victoria’s previous – and highly successful – road safety strategy.

Under the new strategy, the Government continues to invest in road safety initiatives with a proven track record – initiatives that have saved the lives of many Victorians.

At the same time, we are using new evidence, methods and technologies to increase our road safety efforts.

Since 1999, the Government has allocated in excess of $500 million to deliver targeted road safety infrastructure programs. This has included the $240 million TAC funded Statewide Blackspot Program, the biggest of its kind in Australian history and the ground breaking $240 million Safer Roads Program currently underway.

The arrive alive 2008-2017 strategy sees Victoria formally incorporating the Safe System approach to road safety. In taking this step, the Government is making a firm commitment to the principles of the Safe System approach and to making this approach the foundation of our future actions in road safety.

message from the ministers


The Safe System approach recognises that, even with the best preventive programs in place, road crashes will still occur – and aims to build a road system that offers maximum protection to all users by providing safer road infrastructure, increasing the proportion of safe vehicles on our roads and improving the safe behaviour of road users by targeting areas such as speeding, drink and drug driving, fatigued driving and driver distraction.

Victoria has established an internationally recognised record in road safety by resolutely tackling the main causes of road trauma.

With the best known road safety measures in place, our challenge is to continue making significant road safety gains by being just as resolute in tackling more difficult and testing issues and behaviour.

arrive alive 2008-2017 sets out a strong framework to meet this challenge. We look forward to working with the Victorian community to deliver arrive alive 2008-2017 and to ensure that Victoria continues to be a world leader in road safety.

tim pallas - Minister for Roads and Ports

tim holding - Minister responsible for the Transport Accident Commission

Bob cameron - Minister for Police and Emergency Services


arrive alive 2008-2017 builds on Victoria’s strong road safety record and introduces new actions and targets to save lives, reduce road crashes and improve safety on Victoria’s roads over the 10 years from 2008 to 2017.

oUr neW targetsBy the end of arrive alive 2008-2017, the Victorian Government aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 30 per cent. By the end of 2017 the strategy will:

• save an extra 100 lives a year

• prevent over 2,000 serious injuries a year

• reduce the severity of serious injuries.

Meeting these targets will significantly reduce the emotional, physical and financial impact of road trauma on individuals, families and communities. It will keep Victoria at the forefront of Australian and international efforts to reduce road trauma, deliver further major improvements to our road transport system, and improve safety for all Victorian road users.

oUr neW actionsWhile continuing to deliver proven road safety measures, arrive alive 2008-2017 introduces major new initiatives with significant potential to reduce road trauma, including:

• Introducing a requirement for registration that all new vehicles manufactured after 31 December 2010 be fitted with electronic stability control and all new vehicles manufactured after 31 December 2011 be fitted with head protecting technology (such as side curtain airbags) should a national system not be in place at this time.

• New media and public awareness campaigns to encourage consumer demand for vehicles with high safety ratings and advanced safety features and technologies. The Government will play a vital leadership role by committing to purchase safer vehicles.

• A new graduated licensing system (GLS) for young drivers is to commence on 1 July 2008 to ensure that young Victorians gain adequate supervision and experience as learners, and to introduce a new two stage P1 and P2 probationary licence system before moving to a full licence. This new system will also introduce a peer passenger restriction for P1 drivers in their first year.

highlights


• A major infrastructure program delivering unprecedented investment of $650 million to improve road and roadside infrastructure across Victoria, with a focus on reducing the most common types of crashes, together with an expanded Greyspot program and its emphasis on proactive treatments.

• A tough new focus on reducing drug driving through public awareness campaigns and a heightened enforcement effort, including an expanded program of roadside drug testing and ensuring the routine alcohol and drug testing of all drivers involved in serious injury crashes.

• A crackdown on road users who place the community at risk by using intelligence based policing to target specific anti-social behaviour, such as repeat drink driving and speeding offenders, hoons on country roads and heavy vehicle drivers and operators who fail to comply with safety standards and speed limits.

These actions – and others – will be implemented over the duration of arrive alive 2008-2017 through the development of three short term action plans. These plans will keep the strategy on track and effective, respond to emerging road safety trends and challenges, and make sure that we achieve our targets.

oUr neW approach For the first time, Victoria is formally incorporating the Safe System approach to road safety into the arrive alive 2008-2017 strategy. This approach aims to create a much safer road environment in which alert and responsible road users should not lose their lives – or be permanently disabled – as a result of a crash on our road system.

The Safe System values the health and wellbeing of road users and takes human error into account while focusing on:

improving the safety of Victoria’s roads and roadsides −increasing the safety of vehicles on Victoria’s roads −improving the safe behaviour of Victorian road users. −

While Victoria’s road safety agencies adopted the Safe System approach in 2003, arrive alive 2008-2017 formally endorses the approach as the foundation for the Victorian Government’s future road safety activities and investments. The Safe System commits the Government to developing a community-wide culture of road safety and to creating a safer road environment across Victoria.


Victoria’sroadsandroadusersareamongstthesafestintheworld.

ThissafetyrecordreflectsthesuccessofVictoria’sevidenceledapproachtoimprovingroadsafetythroughacomprehensiverangeofinitiativesdeliveredinacloseworkingpartnershipbetweentheVictorianGovernment,localgovernmentandcommunitygroups.

Overthelastfiveyears,initiativesdeliveredunderarrivealive!2002-2007havepreventedsome580deathsandreducedby11percentpeopleadmittedtohospitalformorethanoneday.

Victoria’s roaD safetY recorD

roaD safetY in Victoria

Victoria’s fatality rate of 6.38 per 100,000 in 2007 is lower than the average for the rest of australia which is 8.1.

since 1990, annual road fatalities in Victoria have declined from 548 to 332 in 2007.


Significantimprovementsinroadsafetywereachievedunderarrivealive!2002-2007throughactionsthatincluded:

targetinghighriskbehaviourssuchasspeedinganddrinkdriving−implementingenforcement,educationandawarenessinitiativesto−ensurethatanincreasingmajorityofmotoristscomplywiththeroadrulesundertakingextensiveresearchanddevelopmenttogainabetter−understandingofthecausesofroadcrashesandthemosteffectivemeanstoreduceroadtraumasubstantiallyimprovingthesafetyofthestate’sroadnetwork−throughincreasedinvestmentinroadsafetyinfrastructure,includingAustralia’slargestevertargetedaccidentblackspotprogram.

WhiletheseactionswillcontinuetoplayanimportantroleinimprovingroadsafetyinVictoria,furtherreductionsintheroadtollrequireincreasedeffortandnewtargets,actionsandinvestment.

Overthenext10years,Victoria’spopulationgrowthandtheincreasingdemandfortravelandfreightwillgeneratenewchallengesinroadsafety.Tomeetthesechallengesandfurtherreducetheroadtoll,Victoriamustdomorethansimplysustaintheexistinglevelofroadsafetyeffort.Forexample,basedonVictoria’sprojectedpopulationgrowthalone,ifthecurrentrateoffatalitiesper100,000headofpopulationwasmaintained,thestate’sroadtollwouldincrease11percentto375bytheyear2017.

Jurisdictionswiththebestroadsafetyrecords,suchasSwedenandtheNetherlands,recognisesafetyasakeycomponentoftheirtransportsystems,andhavemadesignificantroadsafetyadvancesbyunderstandinghowtomosteffectivelymodifythesystemtoprotectroadusers.

ThisSafeSystemapproachrecognisesthebenefitstobegainedfromanoverarchingstrategythatdeliverssafertravelthroughsafervehicles,saferroadsandroadsides,andsaferroadusers.TheSafeSystemapproachformsthebasisforthedevelopmentandmanagementofthearrivealive2008-2017strategytobedeliveredbytheVictorianGovernmentanditsagencies,includingtheTransportAccidentCommission,VictoriaPolice,theDepartmentofJusticeandVicRoads.

Througharrivealive2008-2017,theVictorianGovernmentwilltakeactiontoimprovesafetyforallroadusers,promotingacommunitywidecultureofroadsafetyandcreatingasaferroadenvironmentacrossVictoria.Overthenext10years,theGovernmentwillincreaseitseffortstoensurethatfewerlivesarelostonourroadsandthatVictoriacontinuestobealeaderinreducingtheimpactofroadtraumaonindividuals,familiesandcommunities.


Victoria’smovetowardsaSafeSystemapproachtoroadsafetyrepresentsasignificantshiftinthinkingaboutroadsafety.Bytakingatotalviewofthecombinedfactorsinvolvedinroadsafety,theSafeSystemapproachaimstodesignandbuildatransportsystemthatwillprotectresponsibleroadusersandreducethenumberofdeathsandseriousinjuries.

TheSafeSystemapproachrecognisesthatevenwithafocusonprevention,roadcrasheswilloccur–therefore,theroadsystemmustbedesignedtobemoreforgivingofhumanerrorandattempttomanagecrashforcestosurvivablelevels,whilereducingthecontributionofunsaferoaduserbehaviourtoroadcrashes.

ASafeSystemisonewherethelikelihoodofaroadcrashisreduced,andwhereanycrashthatdoesoccurminimisesdeathandseriousinjury.TheSafeSystemapproachidentifiesthesharedresponsibilityofroadsystemandvehicledesigners,providersandusersinachievingthisoutcome.

AchievingaSafeSystemofroadtravelisbasedonanunderstandingthatthehumanbodyisvulnerableandunlikelytosurviveanuncushionedimpactataspeedofmorethan30km/h.Evenrelativelylowspeedscankillorseriouslyinjureunlessthevehicleandtheroadandroadsideenvironmenttakeaccountofthephysicalvulnerabilityofallroadusers.

TheSafeSystemapproachencouragesabetterunderstandingoftheinteractionbetweenthekeyelementsoftheroadsystem:roadusers,vehicles,roadsandroadsides,andtravelspeeds.Exploringtheseinteractionsmaximisesthepotentialadvantageofinitiativesinreducingdeathsandinjuriesfromlinkingdifferentroadsafetyactivities.

UndertheSafeSystemapproach,roadusershavearesponsibilitytocomplywiththerulestoensurethattheyactwithinthelimitsofthesystem’sdesign.

Thetablebelowshowstheestimatedcrashimpactspeeds,basedonthesafestvehicles,wheretheforcesarelikelytoexceedthetoleranceofthehumanbody(inotherwords,thosecrashesthatarelikelytoresultindeathorseriousinjury).

iMPact sPeed road User tyPe crasH tyPe

30km/h+ Vehicleoccupant Sideimpactcrashwithfixedroadsideobjectssuchaspolesandtrees

40km/h+ Pedestrian,cyclist,motorcyclist

Impactwithothervehicles

50km/h+ Vehicleoccupant Sideimpactcrashwithanothervehicle

70km/h+ Vehicleoccupant Head-oncrashwithasimilarvehicle

toWarDs a safe sYstem


the safe system approach includes: designingandmaintainingroadsandroadsidestoreducerisktoas−lowasreasonablypracticalsettingspeedlimitsaccordingtothesafetyoftheroadandroadside−advising,educatingandencouragingroaduserstocomplywithroad−rules,beunimpairedandalert,anddriveaccordingtotheprevailingconditionsencouragingconsumerstopurchasesafervehicleswithprimary−safetyfeaturesthatreducethelikelihoodofacrash,suchaselectronicstabilitycontrol,andsecondarysafetyfeaturesthatreduceinjuryseverityinacrash,suchassidecurtainairbags.

ThesuccessoftheSafeSystemapproachisdependentonroadusersactingwithinthelimitsofthesystem’sdesign.Hencetheimportancegiventoensuringthecommunitybecomesmoreawareoftherisksassociatedwithroadtravel,andthatpeopleareabletomakebetterinformeddecisionsonissuessuchasvehiclechoice,speedandbehaviour.

Additionally,throughenforcementinitiatives,theSafeSystemapproachwillprotectthewidercommunityfromtheactionsofaminorityofroaduserswhorepeatedlyputthecommunityatriskwithanti-socialbehaviour.

DeliVering the safe sYstem TheSafeSystemwilldeliverreductionsindeathsandseverityofinjuriesbyco-ordinatingthemanagementofallthecomponentsofthetransportsystemthatimpactonsafety.Thediagrambelowshowsthemainsystemcomponentsandrelationships.


Improvingroadsafetyrequiresacommunityeffort-andallVictorianroaduserssharearesponsibilitytohelpmakeourroadssafer.

Substantialbenefitscanbeachievedbyinvolvingthecommunityinroadsafetyactivitiesasmuchaspossible.Communityparticipationinroadsafetyisessentialfor:

providinggovernmentandotherdecisionmakerswithaclearand−accurateunderstandingofthepublic’sprioritiesandneeds,especiallyatthelocallevelmaintainingstrongpublicsupportforroadsafetyinitiatives−disseminatinginformationquicklyatthelocallevel−ensuringtheeffectivedeliveryofservices−takingroadsafetymessagestoaswideanaudienceaspossible,−especiallytogroupswithinthecommunitythatarehardtoreachencouragingpeopletoactasadvocatesforroadsafety.−

GreaterlevelsofcommunityparticipationinroadsafetyhavealreadybeenachievedinVictoriathrough:

ongoingstrongpartnershipsbetweenVictorianGovernmentagencies−andcommunityorganisationshighlyeffectivepubliceducation,awarenessandadvertising−campaignslocallybasedprogramsthataddressspecificlocalissues−themajorroleplayedbylocalgovernmentindeliveringinitiativesthat−directlyaffectroadsafetythesubstantialcontributionmadebyVictoria’s24Road− SafeCommunityRoadSafetyCouncils,whichactaseffectiveadvocatesforroadsafetywithinlocalcommunitiesopportunitiesforroaduserstocontributetothedevelopmentofroad−safetystrategiesandinitiatives.

inVolVing all Victorians


community consultation for arrive alive 2008-2017TheGovernmentwillcontinueconsultingwithVictorianroadusersaboutthemosteffectivewaystoimproveroadsafety.Consultationforthedevelopmentofthearrivealive2008-2017strategyhasbeenundertakenacrosstheVictoriancommunity,includingrepresentativesfromlocalgovernment,researchinstitutes,roadusergroups,healthandeducationorganisationsandemergencyservices.

TheVictorianGovernmentrecognisesthatongoingcommunityengagementandconsultationisessentialtosuccessfullyimplementingarrivealive2008-2017,andwillcontinuetosupportcommunitypartnershipsandconsultationmechanismstodeliverpositiveandlastingchangesintheattitudesandresponsesofVictorianstoroadsafety.


WithintheSafeSystemapproach,arrivealive2008-2017addressesthreecriticalelements:saferroadsandroadsides,safervehiclesandsaferroadusers.

Byadoptingeffectivemeasuresineachoftheseareas,andwiththeco-operationandsupportofVictorianroadusers,arrivealive2008-2017willsignificantlyimproveroadsafetyacrossthestateandsubstantiallyreducetheincidenceofdeathsandseriousinjuriesonVictorianroads.

safer roaDs anD roaDsiDes

ImprovingthesafetyofroadsandroadsideswillprovideamuchsaferenvironmentforallroadusersinVictoria.

ThelikelihoodofVictoriansbeingkilledorseriouslyinjuredasaresultofinvolvementincommontypesofcrashescanbereducedthroughimprovedroadinfrastructure.Forexample,riskassociatedwithrun-off-roadcrashescanbereducedthroughtheremovalofroadsidehazardsandinstallationofsafetybarriers.

TherewillalsobeafocusonpreventionthroughanexpandedGreyspotprogramwhichisaproactivesafetyprogramtargetingoutermetropolitanandruralintersections.Intersectionsthathavebeenidentifiedasaroadsafetyconcernbythecommunityandothersareeligiblefortreatments.

Themostcommoncrashtypes–sideimpactcrashes,run-off-roadcrashes,head-oncrashesandrear-endcrashes–accountforaround72percentofallfatalcrashesonVictoria’sroadseachyear.Byimprovingroadandroadside

infrastructure,arrivealive2008-2017willmakeamajorcontributiontowardsreducingthenumberandseverityofthesecommontypesofroadcrashes.

1. safer roaDs anD roaDsiDes

over the last five years the most common crash types (run-off-road, side impact at intersection, rear-end and head-on) account for 72 per cent of all fatal and serious injury crashes on Victoria’s roads each year.


1.1 rUn-off-roaD crashesArun-off-roadcrashoccurswhenavehicleleavestheroadandoftencollideswitharoadsideobjectsuchasatreeorapole.

Run-off-roadcrashesaccountforanaverageof140deathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

What the strategy will do arrivealive2008-2017willreducetheincidenceandseverityofrun-off-roadcrashesthroughmeasuresthatinclude:

• Designingnewroadsandroadsides,monitoringandimprovingexistingroadstothesafestlevelspracticablethroughinfrastructuretreatmentsincludingsafetybarriers,rumblelines,shouldersealing,andremoval/relocationofroadsidehazardsandobjects.

• Settingspeedlimitsaccordingtothesafetystandardsofroadsandroadsides.

• Streamlinerequirementstoremoveortrimnativevegetationinordertomaintainthesafetyandefficiencyoftheroad.

1.2 siDe impact intersection crashes

Asideimpactcrashisoneinwhichthefirstpointofimpactisonthesideofavehiclewherethereislittlevehicleprotectionforoccupants.Thistypeofcrashusuallyoccursatintersections.

Sideimpactcrashesaccountforanaverageof45deathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

What the strategy will do

Measurestoreducetheincidenceandseverityofsideimpactcrasheswillinclude:

• Designingnewroads,roadsidesandintersections,monitoringandimprovingexistingroadstothesafestlevelspracticable.

• Increasingtheenforcementofroadrulesatintersections.

• Reviewingspeedlimitsathigherriskintersections.

1.3 rear-enD crashesRear-endcrashesaccountforanaverageofninedeathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

What the strategy will do Measurestoachievethearrivealive2008-2017targetforrear-endcrasheswillinclude:

• Designingnewroadsandroadsides,monitoringandimprovingexistingroadstothesafestlevelspracticableincludingskidresistancetreatments.


• Increasingthestrategicenforcementeffort,forexample,bydevelopingandusingtechnologytodetervehiclesfromtravellingtooclosetooneanother.


1.4 heaD-on crashes

Head-oncrashesaccountforanaverageof59deathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

What the strategy will do Measurestakenunderarrivealive2008-2017toreducetheincidenceandseverityofhead-oncrasheswillinclude:

• Designingnewroadsandroadsides,andimprovingexistingroadstothesafestlevelspracticableincludingovertakinglanes,duplication,centre-roadbarriers,andcentre-linerumblelines.


1.5 leVel crossing crashes

Whilelevelcrossingcrashesbetweenvehiclesandtrainsaresmallinnumbertheyaregenerallyverysevereintermsofdeathsandinjuriesandcanhavedevastatingeffectsoncommunities.

What the strategy will do Measurestoreducetheincidenceofthesetypesofcrasheswillinclude:

• InfrastructureprogramstoprogressivelyupgradesafetyatlevelcrossingsinMelbourneandprovincialVictoria.Measurestoimproveraillevelcrossingsafetywillincludeautomatedadvancewarningsignsathighwayandhighvolumesitesandplacingrumblestripsontheroadtoalertmotoriststhattheyareapproachingraillevelcrossings.

• Streamlinerequirementstoremoveortrimnativevegetationinordertomaintainthesafetyandvisibilityofraillevelcrossingsandtheirapproaches.

improVing roaD infrastrUctUreTargeted improvements to road infrastructure will help to save the lives of Victorians and reduce the severity of injuries in road crashes. arrive alive 2008-2017 will deliver a combination of targeted infrastructure improvements across Victoria.

safetY BarriersSteel guardrails and wire rope safety barriers are highly effective in absorbing the impact of vehicles travelling at high speeds. In particular, wire rope barriers can reduce fatal and serious injury crashes by up to 90 per cent. A combination of these barriers will be installed at places where there is a high risk of cars running off the road and hitting trees and other roadside objects.

safer roaDs anD roaDsiDes (continued)


remoVal of hazarDs from the roaDsiDeDeaths and serious injuries in run-off-road crashes are strongly linked to collisions with trees and other objects on the roadside. In some locations, removing trees and other objects close to the roadside will give motorists a greater chance of survival if they run off the road.

sealing of roaD shoUlDers Shoulder sealing will be used to provide a smoother, more stable surface at the road’s outer edge and minimise the chances of motorists losing control of their vehicles and running off the road.

improVeD signage anD roaD gUiDance Lack of awareness of road conditions can be a factor in run-off-road crashes. Improvements that help drivers to become more aware of the road environment will include line marking, ‘cats eyes’ reflective road markers, and warning and advisory speed signs at locations with high crash risks.

intersection improVementsA number of infrastructure improvements will be made to reduce the risk and severity of intersection crashes, including:

• Roundabouts – which can reduce fatal and serious injury crashes by up to 85 per cent and are the most effective way to reduce serious injury crashes at intersections because they require motorists to significantly reduce their speed when approaching and travelling through an intersection.

• Traffic lights – which will be installed at intersections to control heavy volumes of traffic and complex traffic movements which would not be effectively managed with a roundabout treatment. In some cases, the sequence of existing traffic lights will be altered to ease congestion and allow more time for difficult turns.

• Traffic separation – which will improve safety at intersections by creating a better separation between traffic turning and travelling through the intersection. Improvements will include better lane marking, traffic islands and separate lanes for left and right turning vehicles.

• Rumble strips – will be installed at certain locations which will alert motorists that they are approaching intersections and rail level crossings.


IncreasingtheproportionofvehiclesonVictoria’sroadswithhighstandardsafetyfeatureswillsubstantiallyreducerisksforallroadusers–drivers,passengers,motorcyclists,pedestriansandcyclists.

Vehicleswithhighstandardsafetyfeaturesreducenotonlythelikelihoodofcrashesoccurring,butalsotheseverityofcrashoutcomesonallthoseinvolved,whethertheyareinsideoroutsidethevehicle.

Australasianresearchindicatesthatifeachmotoristupgradedtheirvehicletothesafestinitsclass,roadtraumawouldimmediatelydropbyuptoone-third.

About85percentofnewcarstestedbytheAustralasianNewCarAssessmentProgram(ANCAP)in2006achievedafourorfivestarsafetyratingcomparedtoonly69percentin2001.

InVictoriain2006,approximately20percentofallnewvehiclessoldachievedthemaximumsafetyratingoffivestars,comparedtosomecountriesinEuropewhere85percentofvehiclessoldachievethemaximumrating.Thetakeupofadvancedsafetyfeaturessuchaselectronicstabilitycontrol(ESC)isabout70percentinnewvehiclessoldinleadingEuropeancountries.InVictoria,lessthan40percentofnewvehiclessoldhavethislifesavingtechnologyandonlyaboutathirdhavesidecurtainairbags.Thesetakeupratesareabovetheaveragetakeupratesfortherestofthenation.

ImprovingtheaveragelevelofsafetyofvehiclesonVictoria’sroads–asmeasuredbycrashworthinessratingsandthepresenceofelectronicstabilitycontrol,sidecurtainairbagsandotherheadprotectingtechnologies–willsignificantlyreducefatalitiesandseriousinjuriesresultingfromcrashes.

Toachievetheseimprovements,manufacturers,governmentagenciesandconsumersmustworktogethertoraisethestandardofvehiclesafetyandtoensurethatVictoriaandAustraliacatchupwithandmatchthebestpracticevehiclesafetystandardssetinEuropeandtheUnitedStates.

Nextgenerationtechnologiessuchasintelligentspeedassist(ISA)andfatiguemonitoringdevicesmustalsoberefinedanddemonstratedtodevelopamarketfortheseproducts.

Withcorporatesafetyinitiativesintheirinfancy,itisalsoimportantforcompanies–bothpublicandprivate–tobeencouragedandsupportedinintroducingsafevehiclelease/purchasepolicies.

2. safer Vehicles


What the strategy will doarrivealive2008-2017willimprovevehiclesafetyinVictoriathroughthefollowingmeasures:

• Acceleratingtheintroductionofvehiclesafetyfeatures,inparticularelectronicstabilitycontrolandheadprotectingtechnologiessuchassidecurtainairbags.

• Raisingawarenessofand,inturn,creatingconsumerandorganisationaldemandforvehiclesafetyfeaturesincludingintelligentspeedassist,electronicstabilitycontrol,airbags,seatbeltreminders,anti-lockbraking,andfrontalprotection.

• Exploringopportunitiestoprovideincentivesforconsumerstopurchasesafervehicles.

• DirectlysupportingtheconductofcrashtestinganddatabaseanalysistoensurethatcontemporaryandscientificallyaccurateinformationisavailabletotheVictoriancommunityaboutthesafetyperformanceofnewandusedcars.

• EncouragingcustomertakeupofAustralasianNewCarAssessmentProgram(ANCAP)andUsedCarSafetyRatinginformationwhenpurchasingvehicles.

• AddressingOHSissuesinco-operationwithWorkSafetoensurethathelpfulandaccurateguidanceisprovidedtofleetmanagerswhenchoosingvehiclesforemployees.

• Assessinganddemonstratingnextgenerationsafetytechnologieswithaviewtocreatingfuturemarketsforthemosteffectiveofthesetechnologies.

• WorkingwithvehiclemanufacturersandtheANCAPBoardtoenableconsumerstobeawareofthesafetyratingsofcarsatthetimeofpurchase.


improVing Vehicle safetYSafer vehicles on our roads means fewer lives lost and fewer Victorians suffering serious injuries in road crashes. New standards, features and technologies are now available to consumers, vehicle builders and road designers to significantly improve the safety of vehicles on Victorian roads over the next 10 years. The Government will play a vital leadership role by committing to purchase safer vehicles.

aUstralasian neW car assessment program (ancap) / UseD car safetY ratingsNew and used car safety ratings provide an indication of a vehicle’s ability to protect its occupants and other road users in a crash. These can be used to measure improvements in the average crash rating of vehicles on Victoria’s roads. It is vital that these results are communicated to consumers to help them to make safe choices when buying a car.

electronic staBilitY control (esc)ESC helps drivers to avoid crashes by reducing the danger of skidding, or losing control as a result of oversteering. It uses computer control technology to apply individual brakes to bring the car safely back on track, without the danger of fishtailing. Australian research indicates that ESC reduces the risk of single vehicle crashes, across all vehicle types, by approximately 30 per cent. For 4WD vehicles, the crash risk can be reduced by over 50 per cent.

siDe cUrtain air BagsSide curtain air bags, which deploy from the roof-rail above the door, provide head and neck protection for front and rear seat passengers, particularly in the event of a side impact crash. Research from the USA indicates that this technology can reduce the risk of death in a side impact crash by up to 40 per cent.

safer Vehicles (continued)


next generation technologiesNext generation technologies such as intelligent speed assist (ISA), lane departure warning systems and fatigue monitoring devices have the potential to reduce crashes and save lives. Intelligent speed assist (ISA) for instance automatically warns a driver when they intentionally or inadvertently travel over the speed limit. Most ISA systems establish the position of the vehicle on the road, and compares the current speed of the vehicle with the speed limit at that location. The system then issues warnings if the vehicle exceeds this limit.

These technologies need to be assessed and demonstrated, with a view to developing future markets for those which are most effective.

fleet VehiclesWith around one-quarter of road fatalities involving fleet vehicles, encouraging the purchase of fleet vehicles with high level safety features has the potential to significantly improve road safety. The flow-on benefits from safe fleet vehicles are considerable, given that about one-half of new vehicles in Australia are purchased for commercial purposes and most of these enter the private vehicle market within two to three years. The Government will play a vital leadership role by committing to purchase safer vehicles and mandating the use of electronic stability control (ESC) and head protecting technologies in its fleet.


3. safer roaD UsersWhilearrivealive2008-2017commitstheVictorianGovernmenttoimprovingthestate’sroadsystem,allVictorianssharearesponsibilitytousethesystemsafelyandresponsibly,andwithconsiderationforotherroadusers.

Asaferoadsystemisapartnershipbetweengovernmentandroadusers.TheGovernmentiscommittedtoprovidingaworldleadingtrafficsafetysystemthatassistsindividualroaduserstotravelsafelyandefficiently.Bycomplyingwiththerequirementsofthissystem,suchasfollowingtheroadrulesanddrivingsafely,roaduserswillensurethatallVictoriansbenefitfrompublicinvestmentinroadsafety,aswellasmakingavitalcontributiontosavinglivesandreducingseriousinjuriesonourroads.

3.1 speeD anD speeDingTravelspeedaffectsboththeriskofacrashhappeningandtheseverityofinjuriessustainedwhenacrashdoeshappen.Evensmallincreasesinvehiclespeedsignificantlyimpactonroadsafetyrisks.

Speedingandinappropriatetravelspeedsdirectlycontributetoatleast30percentofdeathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.Impactspeedsareacrucialdeterminantoftheseverityinallcrashes,makingitvitalthatspeedsaremanagedtooptimiseroadsafetyoutcomes.

the risk of a crash increases significantly even with small increases in speed. travelling at 65 km/h in a 60 km/h zone doubles the risk of a crash.*

*Kloeden,C.N.,McLean,A.J.,Moore,V.M.&Ponte,G.1997.TravellingSpeedandtheRiskof

CrashInvolvement.FederalOfficeofRoadSafety,Canberra,page391.


Severalissuesarecriticaltomanagingtravelspeeds:

Infrastructure: Settingspeedlimitsaccordingtothesafetystandardsofroadsandroadsidesisaneffectivemeasuretoreducetheincidenceandseverityofcrashes.Forhigherrisksectionsofroadswhereinfrastructureimprovementisnoteconomicallyfeasible,orwouldnotreducerisk,speedlimitreductionsshouldbeconsidered.

Vehicletechnology: Increasingtheproportionofvehicleswithtopspeedlimitingdevicesandintelligentspeedassist(ISA)willsignificantlyreducetheincidenceofspeeding.

Education: Educatingdriversaboutthecrashrisksassociatedwithspeedingandthesevereimpactsonvulnerableroaduserssuchaspedestrians,cyclistsandmotorcyclistsareimportantelementsinreducingspeeding.Increasingawarenessofspeed-relatedissuesneedstoaddressthecommonmyths:thatlowlevelspeedingisnotasafetyissue,thatspeedmanagementmeasuresdonotreduceroadtrauma,andthatenforcementisdesignedtoraiserevenue.

Enforcement: Onehighlyeffectivewaytoreducetheincidenceofspeedingisthroughenforcement.Usingappropriateintelligence,policecantargetspeedingathighrisktimesandlocationswithon-roadpatrolsandsafetycameratechnology.

Measurescanalsobetakentopreventrecidivistspeedoffenderswholosetheirlicencesfromcontinuingtospeedwhentheyreturntodriving/riding.


arrivealive2008-2017willtakeactiontoreducetheincidenceofspeedingandthenumberoffatalitiesandseriousinjuriescausedbyspeedingthroughmeasuresthatinclude:

• Settingspeedlimitsaccordingtothesafetyofroadsandroadsides.

• Promotinggreatercompliancewithspeedlimitsthrough:

increasingmotoristawarenessofthespeed/crashrelationship−increasingenforcementmeasuresthattargetthesmallminority−ofmotoristswhoputsaferoadusersatriskwithanti-socialspeedingbehaviourimprovingsignagetoassistmotoriststocomplywithspeedlimits−increasingtheproportionofvehicleswithintelligentspeedassist−(ISA)andtopspeedlimitingdevicestoassistmotoriststocomplywithspeedlimits.


3.2 Drink DriVingDrinkdrivingcontributesupto30percentofdriverandriderdeathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

WhilethereisapproximatelyanequalnumberofdrinkdrivingdeathsinmetropolitanMelbourneandcountryVictoria,whenpopulationistakenintoaccountmotoristsoncountryroadsaremorethantwiceaslikelytobekilledindrinkdrivingcrashescomparedtomotoristsonmetropolitanroads.

SeveralissuesareimportantindeliveringaneffectiveresponsetodrinkdrivinginVictoria:

Drinkdrivingdata:Therearegapsinthecurrentprocessesusedtoestablishthebloodalcoholconcentrationofdriverswhoareinjuredincrashes,butnotkilled.Thesegapscompromisethedevelopmentandeffectivenessofdrinkdrivingcountermeasures.

Drinkdrivinginruralareas:Thehighrateofdrinkdrivinginthecountryreflectsboththedifficultiesinapplyingrandombreathtestingeffectivelyinruralareasandthelackofalternativetransportoptionsinmanyoftheseareas.Speciallytargetedprogramsareanimportantelementintacklingthedrinkdrivingproblemoncountryroads.

Recidivistdrinkdrivers:Researchshowsthatrepeatdrinkdriversoftenhavealcoholabuseproblems.Alcoholinterlockprogramsandrehabilitationprogramsaimedataddressingalcoholproblemscanbeeffectiveinmodifyingthebehaviourofrecidivistoffenderswhodonotrespondtomainstreamdeterrenceandeducationprograms.Vehicleimpoundmentcanalsobeconsideredforoffenderswhoabusethealcoholinterlockprogramorunlicenseddriversundertheinfluenceofalcohol.

safer roaD Users (continued)

on a per head basis, motorists on country roads are more than twice as likely to be killed in drink driving crashes compared to motorists on melbourne roads.


What the strategy will do Measurestakenthrougharrivealive2008-2017toreducetheincidenceofdrinkdrivingwillinclude:

• Increasingenforcementofdrinkdrivinglaws,targetinghighrisklocationsandtimesfordrinkdriving.

• Followingdiscussionswiththeemergencyhospitalsector,ensuringtheroutinebloodsamplingofalldriverswhoareinjuredincrashes.

• Undertakingspeciallytargetedprogramstotackledrinkdrivingoncountryroads.

• Educatingmotoriststo:

-understandthedrinkdriving/crashriskevenatlowlevelsofconsumption,particularlyforyoungerdrivers

-beawareofpoliceenforcementandlikelihoodofdetection

-planalternativestodrivingwhenintendingtoconsumealcohol

-usepublicandapprovedpersonalbreathtestingdevices.

• Extendingthealcoholinterlockprogramtoyoungandinexperiencedmotorists,andstronglyencouragingthevoluntarytakeupofalcoholinterlocks.

• Encouragingvehiclemanufacturerstoincludealcoholinterlocksinthedesignofnewvehicles.

• Developingandassessingmandatoryrehabilitationprogramsforrecidivistdrinkdriversasaconditionofrelicensing.

• Examiningtoughersanctionsforrecidivistdrinkdrivers,includingextensionofvehicleimmobilisation/impoundmentprovisions.

• Encouragingresponsiblealcoholservingpracticesandworkplacepoliciesthatreducethelikelihoodofdrinkdrivingbehaviour.


3.3 DrUg DriVingDrugdrivingwhereoneormoreillicitdrugsarepresentisfoundinapproximately40percentofdriverdeathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

RandomdrugtestingofdriversinVictoriashowsthatonedriverin48testspositivelytothepresenceofillicitdrugs.

IssuesaffectingVictoria’sresponsetodrugdrivinginclude:

Drugdrivingdata: Therearegapsinthecurrentprocessesusedtoestablishwhetherdrugsarepresentindriverswhoareinjuredincrashes,butnotkilled.Thesegapscompromisethedevelopmentandeffectivenessofdrugdrivingcountermeasures.

Prescriptionmedication: Theimpactofprescriptionmedicationonroaduserbehaviouriscurrentlyunclear.Inthecontextofanageingpopulation,itisimportantthatresearchcontinuesintotheimpactsofprescriptiondrugsonroaduserbehaviourtodevelopeffectiveroadsafetymeasures.




Measurestoreducetheincidenceofdrugdrivingwillinclude:

• Moretargetedenforcementthroughroadsidedrugtestingprograms.

• Educatingmotoriststobetterunderstandthedrugdriving /crashriskrelationship,andthehighriskofdetection.

• Undertakingresearchtoincreaseunderstandingoftheroleofbothillicitandprescriptiondrugsonroadsafety.

• Followingdiscussionswiththeemergencyhospitalsector,ensuringtheroutinebloodsamplingofalldriverswhoareinjuredincrashes,butnotkilled.

• Exploringtheintroductionofadruginterlockprogramtoseparatedrivingfromdruguse,similartothealcoholinterlockprogram.


3.4 fatigUeD DriVingWhilethecontributionoffatiguetoroadtraumaisdifficulttoassess,itisestimatedthatfatigueisafactorin20percentofdriverdeathsonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

Severalissuesarecriticaltoreducingtheimpactoffatigueddriving:

Fatigueddrivinginruralareas:FatiguerelatedcrashesaresignificantlymoreprevalentoncountryroadscomparedtoroadsinmetropolitanMelbourne.Specificcountermeasurescanhelptoaddressthehigherriskoncountryroads.

Publiceducation: Publiceducationisakeymechanismtoaddressfatigueddriving,intheabsenceoffatiguedetectiondevicesorenforcementmeasures.

Enforcement: Whileitisdifficulttodeterfatigueddrivinginthepassengervehiclefleetthroughenforcement,heavyvehicleoperatorscanbetargetedusingChainofResponsibilitylaws.Addressingfatigueddrivingamongnon-heavyvehicleoperatorsinthefuturewillrequireanemphasisontechnologicaladvancements,ratherthanenforcement.

Vehicletechnology: Researchwillcontinueintoin-vehiclefatiguewarninganddetectiondevices.However,theonlyeffectivecureforfatigueissleep.Thisshouldbekeptinmindwhenassessingin-vehicledevicestoreducefatiguerelatedcrashes.


the risk of being involved in a fatigue related crash is at least three times higher between 2 am and 4 am, compared to the safest time of midday to 2 pm.


Infrastructure: Engineeringtreatmentsdesignedtoaddresshead-oncrashesareeffectivewaystoaddressfatiguerelatedcrashes,withfatigueestimatedtocontributetomorethanhalfofallfatalhead-oncrashes.Similarly,measurestoreducethecrashseverityofrun-off-roadcrasheswillalsolimittheimpactoffatigueontrauma.

Heavyvehicles: Heavyvehiclesareestimatedtobeinvolvedintwiceasmanyfatiguerelatedcrashesasothervehicles.Whilethisdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatthetruckdriveristhefatiguedpersoninthesecrashes,itdoesidentifytheheavyvehicleindustryasakeyaudienceforeducationaboutfatigue.

What the strategy will do Measurestakenthrougharrivealive2008-2017toreducetheincidenceandseverityoffatiguerelatedcrasheswillinclude:

• IncreasingenforcementandenforceabilityofChainofResponsibilitylaws.

• Increasingmotoristawarenessofthefatigue/crashrelationship.

• Designingandmodifyingroadsandroadsidestoaddresshead-onandrun-off-roadcrashesthroughtreatmentssuchasroadduplication,roadsideandcentre-roadbarriers,centre-roadrumblelines,overtakinglanesandremovingroadsidehazardssuchastreesandpoles.

• Improvingexistingandprovidingadditionalreststopfacilities.

• Encouragingthedevelopmentofnewin-vehicletechnologiesthatidentifytheonsetoffatigue.

• Developingarobusttestforfatiguetostrengthenenforcement.


3.5 DriVer DistractionThereisagrowingbodyofevidencethatdriverdistractions,bothwithinvehiclesandintheroadenvironment,arebecominganincreasinglylargecauseofroadtrauma.

IntheUSA,itisestimatedthatapproximatelyone-quarterofvehiclecrashesresultsfromthedriverbeinginattentiveordistracted.

Aswirelesscommunication,entertainmentanddriverassistancesystemsproliferateacrossthevehiclemarket,thereareconcernsthatdistraction-relatedcrashesmayescalate.

Severalissuesareimportantinrespondingeffectivelytodriverdistraction:

Driverdistractiondata: Collectingcomprehensivecrashinformationisanimportantfirststepinaddressingroadsafetyrisksrelatedtodriverdistraction.Thisinformationshouldprovideabetterunderstandingoftheprevalenceofdriverinvolvementindistractingactivities,andbeusedtodevelopeffectivemeansofaddressingroadsafetyrisks.

In-vehicledriverdistractions: Technologybasedin-vehicledriverdistractionsincludemobilephonesandentertainmentsystemssuchasradio,CDandDVDplayers.Usingamobilephone,whetherhandheldorhandsfree,isestimatedtoincreasecrashriskbyuptofourtimes.

Withgrowingconsumerdemandforpotentiallydistractingin-vehicletechnology,itisimportanttoidentifytheextenttowhichthistechnologyisbeingused,theassociatedroadsafetyrisksandanyeffectivecountermeasures.

Otherdistractions,suchasconversingwithpassengersandchangingmusic,canalsodistractthedriver.Researchsuggeststhatforsomedrivers,passengersareagreatersourceofdistractionthanmobilephonesorotherelectronicdevices.

Out-of-vehicledistractions: Poorlyconsideredroadsidesignageandadvertisingcangeneratevisualclutter,creatingadistractionfordrivers.Amorestrategicapproachisrequiredregardingtheinstallation,useandcontentofscrolling,movingandvideostyleadvertising.

Vehicletechnology/design: Vehicledesignhasamajorimpactonthepotentialdistractingeffectsofnewin-vehicletechnologies.Waysofimprovingthesafetyofin-vehicletechnologyanditsuserequiresongoinginvestigationanddevelopment,inliaisonwithvehicledesignersandmanufacturers.

Publiceducation: Educationcampaignshavethepotentialtoraiseawarenessofboththeknownrisksrelatedtodistractionanddriving,andofthelimitsofandtheoptimaluseofin-vehicletechnologiestominimisedistraction.Driverlicensingprocessesarealsoeffectivechannelsthroughwhichroaduserscanbeeducatedaboutdriverdistractionrisk.




Measurestoreducetheincidenceandseverityofdriverdistractionrelatedcrasheswillinclude:

• Conductingresearchtoascertaintheprevalenceofmobilephoneuse,andotherin-vehicletechnologiesbydriversinVictoriatoquantifytheproblemandprovidebenchmarksfordevelopingandevaluatingcountermeasures.

• Engagingbehaviouralscientiststoreviewguidelinesfortheregulationofallroadsidesignageandadvertising,includinglocation,sizeandcontent.

• Triallinginnovativeenforcementtechniquestodetectillegalmobilephoneuse.

• Engagingvehiclemanufacturersinestablishingappropriatedesignprinciplesinrelationtoin-vehicletechnology.

• Undertakingtargetedpubliceducationcampaignstohighlighttheroadsafetydangersassociatedwithdistractionfromelectronicin-vehicledevices,andwitheverydaydistractionssuchasconversingwithpassengers.

• Includingawarenessofdriverdistractioninthedriverlicensingprocesses.


3.6 YoUng DriVers Youngdriversaredefinedasmotoristsaged18to25years.Approximately44youngdriversarekilledand990seriouslyinjuredonVictoria’sroadseachyear.Thesedriversaccountforoverone-quarterofdriverfatalities,yetrepresentonly13percentofalllicenseddrivers.

Severalissuesareimportantinreducingtheinvolvementofyoungdriversinroadcrashes:

Inexperience: Crashriskishighestinthefirstyearofdriving.Inexperienceisthemostsignificantfactorinyoungdrivercrashes.

Multiplepassengers:Researchshowsthatcarryingmultiplepassengerssignificantlyincreasestheriskofaninexperienceddriverbeinginvolvedinafatalcrash.Theriskofaprobationarydriverbeinginvolvedinafatalcrashincreasesfourfoldwithtwoormorepassengers.Around26percentoffirstyearprobationarydriversinvolvedinfatalcrashesarecarryingtwoormorepassengers,butonlyninepercentoftheirtotaldrivingandsevenpercentoftheirtripsinvolvedrivingwithtwoormorepassengers.Multiplepassengers,inparticularagroupofalcoholaffectedpeerpassengers,poseadangerousdistractionandcanencouragerisktakingforaninexperienceddriver.

Risktaking: Youngnovicedriversfacehighlevelsofriskwhenmakingthetransitionfromsupervisedtosolodriving.Lackofexperienceandincreasedrisktaking,suchasdrinkdrivingandspeeding,contributetoincreasedcrashratesfornovicedrivers.


a young driver in their first year of probationary driving is in the most vulnerable group of all road users. probationary drivers are involved in casualty crashes at three times the rate of experienced drivers.

annual number of drivers in casualty crashes per 10,000 licences and learner permits (2002-2006)


Drinkdriving: Alcoholisacontributingfactorinsome20percentofdeathsindriversaged18to20yearsandsome50percentofdeathsindriversaged21to25years.

Vehiclesafety:Youngdriversaremorelikelytodrivesmaller,oldercarsthatarelesscrashworthyandhavefewersafetyfeatures.Thisplacesthemandtheirpassengersatgreaterriskofseriousinjuryordeathintheeventofacrash.Promotingvehiclesafetyfeaturestodriversinthemarkettopurchasetheirfirstvehicleisanimportantmeasuretoimproveyoungdriversafety.

What the strategy will do Measurestakenthrougharrivealive2008-2017toimproveyoungdriversafetyincludethefollowing:

• Introducinganewgraduatedlicensingsystemthatwilleaseyoungdriversintothedrivingtaskandassistinensuringthattheissueofdriverinexperienceisaddressedsystematically.

• IntroducinganewP1(oneyear)andP2(threeyear)probationarylicencesystem,withmorerestrictionsintheP1period,andarequirementforagooddrivingrecordtoprogressthroughlicencestagestoafulllicence.

• ApeerpassengerrestrictionforP1drivers,whowillbelimitedtodrivingwithonepeerpassenger.

• Examiningfurthergraduatedlicensingmeasures.

• Promotingthepurchaseofsafervehiclestoyoungdrivers.

• Triallingabestpracticepost-licencedriverdevelopmentprogram.

• Promotingresponsibleandsafepracticesbyyoungerdrivers.

• UndertakingtargetedinitiativestoimproveyoungdriversafetyincountryVictoria.

• Promotingvoluntarytakeupofalcoholinterlocksandintelligentspeedassist(ISA)toreducerisksamongyoungdrivers.

the risk of a probationary driver being involved in a fatal crash increases four fold if they are carrying two or more passengers.


3.7 olDer DriVers Olderdriversaredefinedasthoseaged75yearsandabove.

Driversaged75yearsandoverrepresentapproximatelyfourpercentofVictoria’spopulationandaccountforfivepercentoffatalitiesandthreepercentofseriousinjuries.

Inthecontextofanageingpopulation,olderroadusersafetywillcontinuetobeakeyconcernforanincreasinglylargepercentageoftheVictoriancommunity.Encouragingdriverstopreparefortheeffectsofageingontheirmobilitywillbecriticaltoaddressingrisksforolderdrivers.

AnumberofissuesareimportantinimprovingroadsafetyforolderVictorians:

Vehiclesafety: Thephysicalfragilityofolderroadusersmeansthattheyareataparticularlyhighriskofseriousinjuryordeathfromcrashes.Encouragingthepurchaseofsafevehiclesthatofferhighlevelsofoccupantprotectionisanimportantmeasuretoimprovesafetyforolderdriversandtheirpassengers.Olderoccupantsafetycanbeimprovedbythecorrectwearingofseatbeltsandbythepurchaseofvehicleswithahighoccupantprotectionrating.

Mobility: Itisimportantthatolderpeoplemaintaintheirmobilityforaslongaspossible.Thiscanbefacilitatedthroughthepromotionofself-regulation,encouragingolderdriverstoavoiddrivinginconditionsinwhichtheyfeelthreatenedoruncomfortable.

Mobilityforolderpersonscanalsobefacilitatedbyexpandingalternativelocaltransportservices,encouragingolderdriverstobecomefamiliarwithalternativemeansoftravelbeforetheyneedtostopdriving,andassistingolderdrivers,theirfamilies,healthprofessionalsandcommunityorganisationstoassistinaperson’stransitionfromdrivertonon-driver.



Prescriptionmedication: Somemedicalconditionsaremoreprevalentwithage,andthemedicationsprescribedtodealwiththesecanhaveanadverseeffectonsafedriving.Investigatingtheeffectsofprescriptionmedicationondriving,particularlyamongolderroadusers,isanimportantelementindevelopingeffectiveroadsafetymeasures.

Increasedphysicalfrailty: Onceinvolvedinacrash,olderroadusersareatextremelyhighriskofsevereinjurybecauseoftheirgreaterfrailtycomparedtoyoungerpeople.Improveddetectionofvisualandcognitiveproblemswillenablebettertargetedcountermeasurestobeintroducedtoreducetheinjuryrisktoolderroadusers.

Infrastructure: Complextrafficsituationssuchasintersections,multi-laneroadsandbusy,fastmovingtrafficpresentchallengesforolderdrivers.Olderdriverscanexperiencedifficultiesinteractingwiththeroadenvironmentascurrentroaddesignpracticesdonotalwaystakeintoaccounttheirspecificneeds.

Itisimportantfortrafficengineerstotakeintoaccountthechangedcapabilitiesofolderdriversandavoidstandardassumptionsaboutdrivercapabilitiesinthedesignandupgradeofroadsandroadsides.


What the strategy will do Measurestoimproveolderdriversafetywillinclude:

• Improvingroaddesignandsignage,andamendinglanduseplanningguidelinestoaccommodatetheneedsofolderdrivers.

• Encouragingolderdriverstopurchasevehicleswithhighlevelcrashworthinessratings.

• Encouragingandeducatingolderdriverstoself-regulatedrivingability.

• Encouragingolderdriverstolearntousealternativeformsoftransport.

• Developingeducationalprogramswhichraiseawarenessoftheeventualneedtostopdrivingandhowtoplanforthis.

• Conductingresearchtoincreaseunderstandingofthecrashrisksforolderroadusersassociatedwithvisualand/orcognitiveimpairment,andtheeffectsofmedicalconditionsandmedications.

• Improvingdriverlicensingprocesses,toincludecognitiveandimprovedeyesightscreeningforolderdriversconsideredtobeatrisk.

• Developingeducationstrategiestoaddressolderdriversafetyissuesfordrivers,healthprofessionals,family,friendsandcaregivers.

• DevelopingandpilotinglocaltransportservicesforolderVictorians.

• Providingassistanceforolderdriverstousealternativetransportmodes.

3.8 motorcYclists

Approximately46motorcyclists(includingpillionpassengers)arekilledonVictoria’sroadseachyear.Motorcyclistsareapproximately30timesmorelikelytosustainfatalorseriousinjuryperkilometretravelledthanothervehicleoccupants.

Motorcyclistsandpillionpassengersaccountforapproximately14percentoftheroadtoll,yetmotorcyclesmakeuponlythreepercentofallregisteredvehiclesinVictoria.

Trendsinmotorcycleandpillionfatalitiessince2002havebeenencouragingwithanaverage20percentreductioninVictoriacomparedtoa15percentincreaseinfatalitiesfortherestofAustralia.

Basedonage,motorcyclistsaremorelikelytobekilledorseriouslyinjuredwhentheyarebetween21and36yearsold,ratherthanbetween18and25fordrivers.Thisreflectstheincreasingpopularityofmotorcyclingamongolderriders,manyofwhomreturntomotorcyclingafteralongbreakduringwhichridingskillsmaydeteriorate.



Anumberofissuesneedtobeconsideredinimprovingsafetyformotorcyclists:

Oldermotorcycleriders: Ademographicshifthasseenthepopularityofmotorcyclingsignificantlyincreaseamongolderagegroups.Thismeansthatroadsafetyprogramswillneedtohaveanincreasedfocusonolderriders.

Infrastructure: Head-on,run-off-roadandsideimpactcrashesaccountforaround75percentofallmotorcyclistfatalities.Improvementstoroadsandroadsides,includingintersections,willsignificantlyincreasemotorcyclistsafetybyreducingtheincidenceofthesecrashes.

Protectivewear: Theseverityofpersonalinjurysustainedbyamotorcyclistintheeventofacrashissignificantlyreducedifthemotorcyclistiswearinghighstandardprotectivewear.

the most vulnerable (i.e killed or seriously injured) age range for motorcyclists is 21 to 36. this compares to the age range of 18 to 25 for drivers.


What the strategy will do arrivealive2008-2017willtakemeasurestoimprovemotorcyclistsafetythatinclude:

• ImprovingroadandroadsidedesigntothesafestlevelspracticableformotorcyclistsincludingmotorcycleBlackspottreatmentsandBlacklengthtreatmentsonpopularmotorcycleroutes.PreliminaryanalysisofthemotorcycleBlackspotprogramhasfounda38percentreductioninmotorcyclecasualtycrashesattreatedlocations.

• Encouragingmotorcyclemanufacturerstodevelopnewtechnologiesthatwillhelppreventmotorcyclecrashesandprotectriders.Theseincludemotorcycleairbagsandintegratedbrakingsystems.

• Introducingimprovedtrainingprogramsandlicensingsystemsforriderstoenhancethedefensiveridingskillsofinexperiencedriders.

• Increasingtargetedenforcementtoreducetheincidenceofunlicensedriding.

• Educatingdriverstobeawareofmotorcyclistsontheroadandtheirsafetyrequirements.

• Promotingtheuseofhighstandardprotectivewearbymotorcyclists.

3.9 peDestrians

Eachyearonaverage51pedestriansarekilledonVictoria’sroads.Severalissuesarecriticaltoimprovingroadsafetyforpedestrians:

Speedlimits:Lowerspeedlimitssignificantlyimprovesafetyforpedestrians.Apedestrianstruckbyavehicletravellingat40km/hormoreisunlikelytosurvive.

Intoxicatedpedestrians: Intoxicatedpedestriansareataparticularlyhighriskofbeingkilledinacrash.PedestrianswithaBACof.05orgreaterrepresentmorethanhalfofalldeathsofpedestriansaged16to49years.

+


alcohol is a significant issue in fatalities involving pedestrians aged between 21 and 49.


Olderpedestrians: Althoughpeopleaged65andolderrepresentlessthan14percentofthepopulation,theyfeaturein32percentofpedestriandeaths.Improvingsafetyforolderpedestriansisparticularlyimportantgiventhatolderpeoplearemorelikelytorelyonwalkingfortransportation,andinthecontextofanageingpopulation.

Motorisedmobilitydevices:Motorisedmobilitydevicesareincludedinthedefinitionofpedestrians.Clearguidelinesneedtobedevelopedfortheuseofthesedevices.

Children: Childrenaged16yearsandyoungeraccountfor14percentofallpedestrianfatalities,withrisksincreasingsignificantlyforchildrenwhentheybeginschool.Inaddition,theincreasingnumbersofchildrenbeingdriventoschoolhighlightstheneedforparentaleducationonroadsafetyaroundschools.

Vehiclesafety: Thedesignofvehiclescontributessignificantlytotheseverityofinjuriessustainedbyapedestrianinacollision.Forinstance,apedestrianstruckbyavanorfourwheeldrivewithahighbumperismuchmorelikelytoincurseriousheadinjuriesthanwhenstruckbyabonnettypepassengercar.

Infrastructure: Providingvehicle-freepathsandfacilitiesforpedestriansisanextremelyeffectivewayofimprovingtheirsafety.Similarly,barrierfencingandguardrailsonroadedgesandmediansalsoeffectivelyreducesrisksforpedestrians.

Asspeedisakeycontributortopedestrianroadtrauma,trafficcalmingmeasuressuchasspeedhumpsandroundaboutsthatreducethespeedofvehiclesinlocalstreetsalsoreduceroadsafetyrisks.


3.9 peDestrians (continued)


Measurestakentoimprovepedestriansafetyunderarrivealive2008-2017willinclude:

• Designingnewroadsandroadsides,andimprovingexistingroadstothesafestlevelspracticableforpedestriansincludingtrafficcalmingmeasures,safetyfenceandbarriertreatments,andimprovedcrossingfacilities.

• Increasingoff-roadwalkingpathsandfacilitiesthatseparatepedestriansfrommotorisedtraffic.

• Settingspeedlimitsaccordingtothesafetystandardsoflocationswithhighpedestrianactivity.

• Conductingtargetedpubliceducationcampaignstoencouragesafewalkingpractices.

• Conductingconsumerawarenessraisingcampaignstodiscouragepurchaseoflarge,aggressivevehicles,includingthosewithrigidbullbars,andtoincreasetakeupofvehicleswithfeaturesthatdolessharmtopedestrians.

• Improvingcompliancewithroadrulesbyallmotorisedandnonmotorisedroadusersusingenforcementandeducation.

• Reviewingthepenaltiesforillegalpedestrianbehaviourandaccompanyingpoliceenforcementtoensurethatpenaltiesreflecttheseriousnessoftheoffenceandtheroadsafetyimpact.

• ReviewingAustralianDesignRulestoensurethatpedestriansafetystandardsareaddressedbyvehicledesigners.

• Influencingtownplanningandresidentiallayouttofacilitatesafetravelforpedestrians.



3.10 cYclists

Onaverage,eightcyclistsarekilledonVictoria’sroadseachyear.

Severalissuesarecriticaltoimprovingroadsafetyforcyclists:

Speedlimits:Lowerspeedlimitssignificantlyimprovesafetyforcyclists.Acycliststruckbyavehicletravellingat40km/hormoreisunlikelytosurvive.

Vehiclesafety:Thedesignofvehiclescontributessignificantlytotheseverityofinjuriessustainedbyacyclistinacollision.Forinstance,acycliststruckbyavanorfourwheeldrivewithahighbumperismuchmorelikelytoincurseriousheadinjuriesthanwhenstruckbyabonnettypepassengercar.

Infrastructure:Providingvehicle-freepathsandfacilitiesforcyclistsisanextremelyeffectivewayofimprovingtheirsafety.

Asspeedisakeycontributortocyclistroadtrauma,trafficcalmingmeasuressuchasspeedhumpsandroundaboutsthatreducethespeedofvehiclesinlocalstreetsalsoreduceroadsafetyrisks.

What the strategy will do Measurestakentoimprovecyclistsafetyunderarrivealive2008-2017willinclude:

• Designingnewroadsandroadsides,andimprovingexistingroadstothesafestlevelspracticableforcyclistsincludingtrafficcalmingmeasures,safetyfenceandbarriertreatments,andimprovedcrossingfacilities.

• Increasingoff-roadcyclingpathsandfacilitiesthatseparatecyclistsfrommotorisedtraffic.

• Settingspeedlimitsaccordingtothesafetystandardsoflocationswithhighcyclistactivity.

• Conductingtargetedpubliceducationcampaignstoencouragesafecyclingpractices.

• Conductingconsumerawarenessraisingcampaignstodiscouragepurchaseoflarge,aggressivevehicles,includingthosewithrigidbullbars,andtoincreasetakeupofvehicleswithfeaturesthatdolessharmtocyclists.

• Improvingcompliancewithroadrulesbyallmotorisedandnon-motorisedroadusersusingenforcementandeducation.

• Reviewtheexistinglegislationtoensurethatcyclistscanbechargedwithserioustrafficoffencessimilartothoseappliedtodrivers.

• Influencingtownplanningandresidentiallayouttofacilitatesafetravelforcyclists.


3.11 heaVY Vehicle DriVersApproximately12heavyvehicledriversand59otherroadusersarekilledeachyearonVictoria’sroadsfromcrashesinvolvingheavyvehicles.

Anumberofissuesarerelevanttoreducingtheincidenceofroadcrashesinvolvingheavyvehicles:

Increaseinthefreighttask: AnefficientroadfreightindustryisvitaltoVictoria’seconomy.ForecastsbytheBureauofTransportandRegionalEconomics(BTRE)predictthefreighttaskinAustraliawilldoubleby2020withroadtransportbeingthedominantmode.Thechallengeandtaskaheadistodevelopandimplementstrategieswhichmorethanoffsettheimpactofthisgrowth.TheGovernmentisalsocommittedtodevelopingstrategiesaimedatincreasingtheamountoffreighttransportedbyrail.

Heavyvehiclecrashresponsibility: Researchshowsthatheavyvehicledriversareresponsible,orpartlyresponsible,foronly30percentoffatalcrashesinvolvingtrucks.Welldevelopedandtargetededucationcampaignsplayanimportantpartinmakingallroadusersawareofhowtointeractsafelywithheavyvehicles.

Seatbeltuse: Asignificantcontributortoheavyvehicledriverdeathsandseriousinjuriesisthelowseatbeltwearingratesofthesedrivers.Itisestimatedthat40percentto50percentofheavyvehicledriverdeathscould

bepreventedifseatbeltuseratesweresimilartothoseachievedinpassengervehicles.Educationprograms,targetedenforcementandOHSregulationsthatrequireemployerstoensuresafeoperationsforworkersareimportantmeasurestoreduceriskstoheavyvehicledriversfromnon-seatbeltuse.

Saferroads: Ongoingimprovementstoroadandroadsideinfrastructurewillhelptosupporttheanticipatedgrowthinheavyvehicletrafficwithoutincreasesintruckcrashcasualties.Theprovisionofstrategicallylocatedreststopsforheavyvehiclesisakeyinitiativetoreducefatiguerisksforheavyvehicledrivers.

Speedmanagement: Aroundsevenpercentofheavyvehicledriversexceedthepostedspeedlimitoncountryroads.Itisestimatedthatifheavyvehiclespeedingwascompletelyeliminated,around25percentofseriouscasualtiesinvolvingaheavyvehiclecouldbeprevented.

Whilethereisarequirementforheavyvehiclestobefittedwithspeedlimiters,dataindicatesthattherearemanynon-compliantheavyvehiclesontheroad.Targetedenforcementofheavyvehiclesforspeedlimitcomplianceisakeyelementinimprovingsafetyforallroadusers.



Driverimpairment: Surveysindicatethatfatigueddrivingisaregularpartoftheworkexperienceofmanyheavyvehicledrivers.Further,thereisacloserelationshipbetweenfatigueandillicitdruguse,withsomeheavyvehicledriversusingillicitstimulantdrugstomanagetheimpactoffatigue.ImprovingthemanagementoftheheavyvehicleindustrythroughtheenforcementoflegislationsuchasthatrelatedtoChainofResponsibilityandOHSwillimproveworkingconditionsandreducetheincidenceofimpaireddrivingbyheavyvehicledrivers.TheChainofResponsibilitymeansthatanybody,notjustthedriver,whohascontrolinatransportoperationcanbeheldresponsibleforbreachesofroadlawsandmaybemadelegallyliable.

Saferheavyvehicles: Heavyvehicleswithimprovedseatbeltsystems,improvedcabinstrengthandbetterunderrunprotectionhavethepotentialtoimprovesafetyforallroadusers.TheseimprovementscouldbeachievedthroughtheintroductionofAustralianDesignRulesforheavyvehiclecabinstrength,andfront,rearandsideunderrunprotection.

What the strategy will do Measurestakenunderthearrivealive2008-2017strategytoimprovethesafetyofheavyvehicledriversandallroaduserswillinclude:

• Improvingroadandroadsideinfrastructuretobetteraccommodateheavyvehiclesandtheforecastincreaseinthefreighttask.

• Undertakingeducationcampaignstoincreaseawarenessofrisksforheavyvehicledriversandallroaduserswhointeractwithheavyvehicles.

• InvestigatingchangestoAustralianDesignRulestoimprovethesafetyofheavyvehicles.

• Targetingenforcementofspeed,seatbelt,ChainofResponsibilityandOHSlaws.

• Targetingenforcementofdrug/drinkdrivingwithintheheavyvehicleindustry.

• Encouragingthefittingofintelligentseatbeltremindersystems.


3.12 pUBlic transport UsersIncreasingpublictransportusehasthepotentialtodeliverroadsafetybenefits.

However,therearesomemajorsafetyrisksfrompublictransportusethatmayincreaseaspatronageincreases.Whilethenumberoffatalitiesandseriousinjuriesresultingfromcrashesinvolvingtrains,tramsandbusesislow,thesafetyofpassengersboardingandalightingtramsrepresentsachallengewhichmustnotbeunderstated.Fallsinsidetramsarealsocommon,oftencausedbyasuddenbrakingofatramwhenotherroadvehiclesencroachontotramtracks.Also,crashesinvolvingtrainstypicallyresultinfatalities.

What the strategy will do Measurestoimproveroadbasedpublictransportsafetywillinclude:

• Introduceanetworkofroadswheretramsandbuseshavetrafficprioritywhichwillimprovethesafetyofpublictransportusers.

• Undertakingeducationprograms,supportedbyenforcement,toprotectpeopleboardingandalightingfrombusesandtrams.

3.13 coUntrY roaD UsersWhilesignificantgainsweremadeunderarrivealive!2002-2007inreducingroadtraumainmetropolitanareas,theseachievementswerenotmatchedincountryVictoria.

CountryroadcasualtiesremaindisproportionatelymorenumerousperpopulationthaninMelbourne.


in 2007, for every 100,000 road users in country Victoria, 12.4 were killed in a road crash, compared to only 4.1 for every 100,000 in metropolitan melbourne.


Countrycrashtypes:Countryroadusersaremoreatriskofafatalcrashasaresultofarun-off-roadorhead-oncrash.Infrastructureimprovementsdesignedspecificallytoaddressthesetypesofcrashrisksoncountryroadsandroadsidescansignificantlyreducerisksforcountryroadusers.

Drinkanddrugdriving:Factoringinpopulation,alcoholisaroundtwiceaslikelytobeacontributingfactorinfatalcrashesoncountryroads.Reducingtheincidenceofdrinkdrivingisakeychallengetoimprovingtheroadsafetyforcountryroadusers.Similarlydrugdrivingisagrowingproblemparticularlyamonghighriskgroupssuchasyoungandheavyvehicledrivers.

Fatigue:FatiguerelatedcrashesarefarmoreprevalentinregionalareascomparedtometropolitanMelbourne.Measuressuchasinfrastructureimprovementsandtargetededucationinitiativesareessentialinordertoreducetheinvolvementoffatigueincrashes.

Levelcrossingsafety:ComparedtometropolitanMelbourne,countryVictoriahasagreaternumberoflevelcrossingswithoutboomgatesorflashinglights,buthave‘STOP’or‘GIVEWAY’signs.Improvinglevelcrossingsafetywillhavesignificantsafetybenefitsforcountryroadusers.

Heavyvehicles:Withmostfatalitiesinvolvingheavyvehiclesoccurringoncountryroads,reducingtheroadsafetyrisksforheavyvehicles,includingthoserelatedtofatigueandspeed,willhaveapositiveeffectforallcountryroadusers.



Measurestoreducetherisksforcountryroaduserswillinclude:

• Undertakingimprovementstocountryroadsandroadsidestoreducemajorcrashrisks.Thesewillincluderemovingroadsidehazardsandinstallingroadsidebarrierstoaddressrun-off-roadcrashes.Steelguardrailsandwireropesafetybarriersarehighlyeffectiveinabsorbingtheimpactofvehiclestravellingathighspeeds.

• Shouldersealingwillbeusedtoprovideasmoother,morestablesurfaceattheroad’souteredgeandminimisethechancesofmotoristslosingcontroloftheirvehiclesandrunningofftheroad.Additionally,rumblelinesalongtheshoulderalertmotoriststhattheyaretravellingtooclosetotheedgeoftheroad.

• Rumblelinesalongthecentre-lineofroadsandovertakinglanesareprovenmeasuresthatreducethechancesofhead-oncrashesoccurringbywarningdriverstheyarecrossingontothewrongsideoftheroad.

• Infrastructureimprovementswillbemadetoreducetheriskandseverityofcountryintersectioncrashes,includingroundabouts–whichcanreducefatalandseriousinjurycrashesbyupto85percent–andothersafetyimprovementssuchasskidresistancetreatments,lightingimprovements,vehicleactivatedsignsandconversionofYintersectionstosaferTintersections.

• Carryingoutamajorprogramoflevelcrossingsafetyimprovements,includingtheinstallationofflashingwarningsignsatlevelcrossingsonregionalVictorianhighwaysandrumblestrips,whichareraisedroadstripsthatalertmotoriststhatalevelcrossingisahead.Reductionofspeedlimitswillalsooccurathighrisk,highroadspeedruralraillevelcrossings.Theseinfrastructureimprovementswillbesupportedbytargetededucation,tougherpenaltiesforlevelcrossinginfringementsandenforcementprograms.



• Reducingtheincidenceofdrinkanddrugdrivingthroughtargetedinitiativesthatfocusontheissuesassociatedwithdrinkanddrugdriving.InitiativesincludingeducationcampaignswillbedeliveredtoimprovedriversafetyincountryVictoria.Thiswillinvolveworkingcloselywithlicensedpremisesandsportingclubs.

• TargetedenforcementofdrinkdrivingwillbecarriedoutusingexistingspecialisedboozebusesforoperationsincountryVictoriaandtargetedenforcementofdrugdrivingincountryVictoriawillalsobeundertaken.

• Prioritiestoreducetheincidenceandseverityoffatiguerelatedcrasheswillbethroughnewpublicawarenesscampaigns,improvementstocountryreststopfacilities,andinfrastructureimprovementstoreducerun-off-roadcrashesandhead-oncrashesoncountryroads.

• Heavyvehiclesafetywillbeimprovedbyimplementingarangeofactionstoreducetherisksassociatedwithheavyvehicles,includingongoingimprovementstoroadandroadsideinfrastructureandimprovingthedrivingpracticesofotherroaduserssharingtheroadwithheavyvehicles.

• Improvedenforcementofheavyvehiclespeedswillbedonebyensuringthecomplianceandintegrityofheavyvehiclespeedlimiterswhichrestrictthevehicle’stopspeedto100km/h,andcompliancewithChainofResponsibilitylawswhichmeansthatanybody,notjustthedriver,whohascontrolinatransportoperationcanbeheldresponsibleforbreachesofroadlaws.


hoW the strategY Will WorkShortertermactionplansandperformancemeasureswillbeusedtoensuretheeffectivenessandresponsivenessofthearrivealive2008-2017strategyacrossits10yeartimeframe.

time frameThearrivealive2008-2017strategysetsthedirectionforroadsafetyinitiativesinVictoriaforthe10years2008to2017.Thetimeframeofthestrategyallowsprogramsrequiringanongoingsustainedefforttorealiseroadsafetybenefitstobeproperlyplannedanddelivered.

Forexample,improvingthesafetyfeaturesinvehicles–akeyelementinthestrategy–requiresanongoingpubliceducationcampaigntofirstincreaseconsumerawarenessanddemandforsafervehicles,therebypromptingvehiclemanufacturerstorespondtoconsumerleddemand.

measUring performance Monitoringandevaluatingtheperformanceofthestrategy–andspecificroadsafetyinitiativesdetailedinthearrivealive2008-2017actionplans–areessentialtoachievingthestrategy’stargets.

Toensurethesetargetsareachieved,overallandspecificmeasureswillbeusedtomonitorperformance.Thesemeasureswillenableprogresstobeassessedandemergingissuestobeidentifiedandaddressed.

Measuresofinjuryseveritywillbemonitoredusinghospitalcasualtydata.Thebenefitsthroughreductionsintheseverityofcrashoutcomeswillbemeasuredbythosehospitalisedformorethan14dayscomparedtothosehospitalisedformorethanoneday.Thesevalidatedmeasureswilldeterminetrendsovertimeintheseverityofinjuries.

action plans Toensurethattheeffectivenessofthestrategyissustainedacrossits10yeartimeframe,threeshortertermactionplanswillbedevelopedtodeliverthestrategy.Theactionplanswillensurethatthestrategyremainsrelevant,effectiveandon-tracktomeettheVictorianGovernment’snewtargetsforroadsafety.

Eachactionplanwilldeliveracomprehensiverangeofactivitiesinlinewiththestrategy’sbroaddirectionsandinitiativesacrosseightareasofaction:publiceducation,enforcement,infrastructure,technology,legislation,licensing,occupationalhealthandsafety,andresearchanddata.

Developmentofthearrivealive2008-2017actionplanswillbeinformedbyongoingcommunityconsultationandevaluationoftheprogressofthearrivealive2008-2017strategy.TheVictorianGovernmentwillinvolvelocalgovernment,theCommonwealthGovernment,RoadSafeCommunityRoadSafetyCouncils,otherkeyroadsafetyorganisationsandthegeneralpublicindevelopingtheactionplans.

making the strategY Work


Thesuccessofroadsafetyinitiativessetoutineachactionplanwillbemeasuredagainstclearperformancetargets.Thesetargetswillensuretheprogressivereductionoffatalandseriousinjurycrashesoverthelifeofthearrivealive2008-2017strategy.

areas of action Thearrivealive2008-2017strategyandactionplanswillapplytheSafeSystemapproachtodesigningandintroducingprogramsthatlinkthevariouscomponentsofthestrategytodelivergreatercumulativesafetybenefits.

Campaigns,projectsandinvestmentswillbedeliveredacrosseightareasofaction,givingmaximumeffecttoVictoria’seffortstosavelivesandreducethenumberofpeoplebeingseriouslyinjuredonourroads.

community education and awarenessRoadusersrequirecurrent,accurateroadsafetyinformationtoplaytheirpartinaSafeSystemofbehavingresponsiblyandinaccordancewiththeroadrules.

Underarrivealive2008-2017,thisinformationwillbeprovidedthroughacombinationofmassmediaandtargetededucationcampaignstogetherwiththeGovernment’sroadsafetypartners,includingRoadSafeCommunityRoadSafetyCouncils,theDepartmentofEducationandEarlyChildhoodDevelopment,andschoolsandclubs.Inadditiontotraditionalmediachannels,‘new’communicationsmediawillbeharnessed.

Localgovernment,workingincollaborationwithRoadSafeCommunityRoadSafetyCouncils,willhaveanimportantroleinimprovingsafetyonlocalroadsthroughtargetedcampaignsthataddresslocalroadsafetyissues.

arrivealive2008-2017recognisesthateducationandinformationsharingmustoccuronatwo-waybasis.Roadusersneedinformationtoberesponsibleroadusers;similarly,roadsafetydecisionmakingorganisationssuchasthegovernment,policeandroadauthoritiesneedinformationaboutthecommunity’sroadsafetyexpectations.

Toachievethisimportantdialogue,arrivealive2008-2017willfocusonstrategiesdesignedtodeliveratwo-wayinformationsharingprocessbetweentheroadusercommunityandroadsafetydecisionmakingorganisations.

enforcement and deterrenceResearchshowsthatthemosteffectivewaytoimproveroaduserbehaviouristhroughacombinationofeducationandenforcementoftheroadrules.

Enforcementseekstoensurethatthemajorityofroaduserswhobehaveresponsiblyareprotectedfromaminoritywhoputthesafetyofothersinjeopardythroughanti-socialbehavioursuchasdrinkdrivingandspeeding.

EnforcementoftheroadruleshasbeenakeyfactorinreducingVictoria’sroadtolltodate,andwillcontinuetobeafocusunderarrivealive2008-2017.


TheenforcementeffortwilltargetkeycontributingfactorstoroadtraumainVictoria,suchasspeeding,impaireddriving(drugs,alcoholandfatigue)andrestraintuse.

legislation Theenforcementeffortcanonlybeeffectiveifunderpinnedbyappropriatelegislation.

Anongoingpriorityforarrivealive2008-2017andthestrategy’ssupportingactionplanswillbetoexamineexistinglegislationand,whereappropriate,amendorintroducenewlegislationtorespondtoemergingroadsafetytrends.

road safety technologyMaximisingtechnologicaldevelopmentsintheareasofvehiclesafety,roadengineeringsystems,andenforcementdeviceswillreducethelikelihoodofcrashesoccurringandtheseverityofoutcomeswhentheydooccur.

Whilethetakeupofsometechnologieswillbeconsumerdriven,thepotentialbenefitsofferedbyvehicle-basedtechnologies,inparticular,areconsiderableandtheVictorianGovernmentwilltakeanactiveandleadingapproachtotheirintroductionandpromotion.

Underarrivealive2008-2017,Victoriawillcontinuetoleadthewayinidentifying,developingandintroducingarangeofthemosteffectiveroadsafetytechnologies:

Vehicletechnology: Increasedconsumertakeupofvehicleswithsafetyfeaturessuchaselectronicstabilitycontrolandintelligentspeedassisthasthepotentialtosignificantlyreducethelikelihoodofcrashesoccurringandtheseverityofinjurieswhencrashesdooccur.

Oneofthemostpromisingmeasurestodecreasetheincidenceofsinglevehiclerun-off-roadcrashesiselectronicstabilitycontrolinwhichsensorsdetectlossofcontrolandtakecorrectiveaction.Itisestimatedthatabout40roaddeathscouldbepreventedinVictoriaeachyearifelectronicstabilitycontrolwasfittedinallcars.

Opportunitiesexisttostimulatetheadoptionofsafervehicletechnologybyraisingawarenessthroughpublicity,fleetpurchasingpoliciesandencouragingvehiclemanufacturerstointroducesafetyfeaturesavailableinmanyoverseasvehicles.

Roadandroadsidetechnology:Vehicle-to-vehicleandvehicle-to-infrastructureroadsafetyrelatedtechnology,includingspeedadvisorysystems,havethepotentialtosignificantlyimprovesafety.

hoW the strategY Will Work (continued)


Researching,triallingandimplementingthesetechnologiesareapriorityforactionunderarrivealive2008-2017.

Enforcementtechnology:IncreasingtheuseofavailabletechnologywillimproveefficiencyinenforcingVictoria’sroadrules.Thesetechnologiesincludeautomaticnumberplaterecognition(ANPR),in-carvideosystems,avarietyofspeedmonitoringequipmentincludingspeedcameratechnology(suchaspoint-to-pointanddigitalcameras),androadsidedrugandalcoholtestingdevices.

infrastructure Improvingthesafetyofroadsandroadsidesisoneofthesinglemosteffectivemeasurestoreducetheincidenceandseverityofcrashes.

Extensiveinfrastructurebasedsafetyimprovementswillbeimplementedunderarrivealive2008-2017toreducefatalitiesandseriousinjuriesfromthemostcommoncrashtypesonVictoria’sroads.

Theseinfrastructureprojectswillbecarefullyselectedtoaddressthemostfrequentandseverecrashtypes.Treatmentswillincludeamixofprovenroadsafetycountermeasuresandwillbecomplementedbytheintroductionofinnovativetreatmentsflowingfromthestrategy’sresearchanddevelopmentprogram.

AkeyaspectindeliveringtheSafeSystemistomatchmoreeffectivelythespeedofvehicleswiththeinherentsafetyofourroadsandroadsides.

licensingImprovingthelicensingrequirementsforVictorianmotoristswillincreasesafetyforallroadusers,andparticularlythemostvulnerableusers,suchasnovicedriversandolderdrivers.

Novicedriversareoverrepresentedincrashesbyaratioofthreetoonecomparedtoexperienceddriversandareatparticularriskinthefirstfewmonthsofdriving.Theintroductionofanewgraduatedlicensingsystem,requiringaminimumnumberofhoursofdrivingpractice,willreduceriskforyoungdrivers.

Olderdriversareatincreasedriskofseriousinjuryanddeathduetothefragilityassociatedwiththeageingprocess.Underarrivealive2008-2017opportunitiestoreducethisriskwillbeinvestigated.Tomaintainsafemobility,olderdriverswillbeencouragedtoself-regulatetheirdriving.Inaddition,theuseofconditionallicencesformedicallyimpaireddriverswillbeexplored.


Forpeoplewithseriousorlifethreateninginjuriesorillnesses,organortissuetransplantationcouldmeanasecondchanceatlife.Aconsequenceofroadtraumacanoftenbetheneedforadonationoflifesavingorgans.TheopportunitywillbemadeforallVictoriandriversatthetimeoflicencerenewaltoindicatetheyarewillingtomakeanorgandonation.

occupational health and safety (oHs) policiesThedevelopmentofOHSpoliciesusedbytheVictorianGovernmentandtheprivatesectorthataddressdutyofcareissuesforemployeeswhoseworkinvolvesdrivingvehicleshasthepotentialtosignificantlyimproveroadsafety.

OHSpoliciesshouldemphasisesafedrivingbehaviourrequiredofemployees,includingtravelwithinspeedlimitsandatanappropriatespeed,requireduseofseatbelts,discouraginganymobilephoneusewhilethevehicleisinmotion,responsiblealcoholpoliciesandazerodrugrequirement.

Theselectionofsafevehiclesbyfleetpurchaserswillbeakeymeanstoinfluencesafetyonourroadsystem.

research and dataVictoriawillremainattheforefrontofroadsafetyresearchthroughcontinualinteractionwithglobalexperts,theMonashUniversityAccidentResearchCentre(MUARC)andotherresearchspecialists.Thesepartnershipswillprovideabetterunderstandingofwhycrasheshappenandhowdeathsandinjuriescanbeavoided.

AsignificantstepinresearchwillbetheestablishmentofaspecificprogramwithMUARCtodevelopsolutionsforactivitiescentraltoachievingstrategygoalsandensuringtargetsareachieved.

Itisimportantthatthecollectionandanalysisofcrashrelateddataiscontinuallyimprovedtoensuretheongoingdevelopmentofinnovativeandeffectiveroadsafetycountermeasures.

arrivealive2008-2017willestablishbetterdatasetsandlinkagesbetweendifferentagencies,creatingarepositoryofrichinformationtounderstandhighriskroaduserbehaviours,crashesandtheiroutcomes.

hoW the strategY Will Work (continued)


arrivealive2008-2017willbemanagedinpartnershipwithcommunityorganisationsandthrougharoadsafetymanagementstructurethatincludesthePremierandgovernmentministers,andseniorofficersofVictoriaPolice,VicRoads,theTransportAccidentCommissionandtheDepartmentofJustice.

PartnershipsVictoria’sroadsafetyachievementshavebeendeliveredthroughstrongandco-ordinatedpartnershipsbetweengovernment,itsagenciesandthewidercommunity.

Successfullyimplementingthearrivealive2008-2017strategywilldependuponthesupportandeffortsofstateandlocalgovernment,communities,organisationsandindividualsthroughoutVictoria.

ThesupportofVictoria’sMembersofParliamentisanimportantelementinthesuccessofroadsafetyinitiatives.AkeyfeatureofVictoria’sroadsafetyframeworkistheParliamentaryRoadSafetyCommittee,comprisingMembersofParliamentfromallpoliticalparties.TheVictorianGovernmentwillcontinuetosupporttheworkoftheRoadSafetyCommitteeandcontinuetoencourageall-partysupportforVictoria’sarrivealive2008-2017strategy.

TheGovernmentwillcontinueitsco-ordinatedapproachtoroadsafety,ledbythethreeministersresponsibleforroadsafetyinVictoria-theMinister

forRoadsandPorts,theMinisterforPoliceandEmergencyServicesandtheMinisterresponsiblefortheTransportAccidentCommission(TAC).

TheMinisterswillprovideleadershipintheimplementationofarrivealive2008-2017anddevelopmentoffutureactionplansandroadsafetyinitiatives.

VicRoads,TAC,VictoriaPoliceandtheDepartmentofJusticeareresponsiblefordeliveringthekeyinitiativesunderthestrategy,andwillrelyheavilyonmaintainingandbuildingstakeholderandcommunityinvolvement.

CommunitymemberswillcontinuetoplayacentralroleinreducingVictoria’sroadtollbyacceptingtheirresponsibilitiesaslawabidingroadusers,andbycontinuingtocontributetothedevelopmentofroadsafetyinitiatives.

LocalgovernmentandRoadSafeCommunityRoadSafetyCouncilswillcontinuetobeimportantroadsafetypartnersatthelocallevel,withmajorrolesinadvocacy,increasingtheunderstandingofroadsafetyissuesintheircommunities,implementinglocalprogramsanddrawingattentiontoroadsafetyissuesimportanttotheircommunities.

managing the strategY


roaD safetY management strUctUre

managing anD co-orDinating the strategY

road_safety_strategy arrive alive 2008-2017

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