Road Safety

This report forms part of a multi-stage Road Safety Engineering Risk Assessment research project that aims to increase the level of knowledge on the relationship between crash risk and road elements. The management of the road network to provide safe road transport is a key performance indicator for all road authorities. Its importance to authorities amplified by the recent High Court decision that removed the Non-Feasance rule. This decision further emphasises the importance for road authorities to monitor the state of their road network to identify network deficiencies and prioritise the treatment of these deficiencies in a manner which will result in optimum crash risk reduction. It is envisaged that improving the underlying information that supports expert systems such as the Road Safety Risk Manager will lead to improved optimisation of the crash risk prioritisation process. This report comprises of an investigation into crash rates on differing road segments and intersection stereotypes, a brief analysis of the current status of data management systems within Australasia, an investigation into the relationship between the road and its properties and crash risk for vulnerable road users and an investigation into the relationship between crash risk and the lateral offset of roadside hazards. The report concludes with 18 recommendations for further action and further analysis covering areas such as greater use of GIS, better understanding of vulnerable road user safety and clear zone policies for roadside hazards.