Skip navigation
View Cart

Road Safety

Cover of Road Safety on Local Government Roads: Final Report
Road Safety on Local Government Roads: Final Report
  • Publication no: AP-R359-10
  • ISBN: 978-1-921709-20-3
  • Published: 10 May 2010

This document seeks to provide information on the safety of local government managed roads. A large proportion of the Australasian road network is managed by local government (82% in Australia, and 88% in New Zealand). However, little is known about the scale of the road safety problem on local roads, the types of crashes that occur, and causes of these crashes. It is difficult to develop strategies to reduce crash risk on local roads without first understanding the nature of the crashes that occur on these roads. This document provides the results of research on this topic, and is based on a review of literature, an analysis of crash data, site investigations, and a stakeholder workshop with representatives who are involved with local government road safety.

  • 1. INTRODUCTION
    • 1.1. Local Government and the Safe System Approach to Road Safety
  • 2. METHODOLOGY
    • 2.1. Literature Review
    • 2.2. Data Analysis
      • 2.2.1. Limitations of the Crash Analysis
    • 2.3. Site Inspections
      • 2.3.1. Site Selection
      • 2.3.2. Features Investigated
    • 2.4. In-depth Crash Analysis
    • 2.5. Workshop
  • 3. RESULTS – LITERATURE REVIEW
    • 3.1. Characteristics of the Local Road Network
      • 3.1.1. Australia
      • 3.1.2. New Zealand
    • 3.2. Crash Characteristics
    • 3.3. Challenges for the Local Road Network
      • 3.3.1. Characteristics of Local Roads
      • 3.3.2. Availability and Flow of Information
      • 3.3.3. Resource Constraints
      • 3.3.4. Changing Population Demographics and Traffic Volumes
    • 3.4. Addressing Challenges on the Local Road Network
      • 3.4.1. Road Safety Strategies
      • 3.4.2. Models of Collaboration and Local Road Safety Programs
      • 3.4.3. Key Elements of Successful Collaboration in Community Road Safety
      • 3.4.4. Delivering a Successful Road Safety Program
      • 3.4.5. Evaluation and Review of Road Safety Plans and Activities
      • 3.4.6. Planning and Designing a Safe Local Road Network
      • 3.4.7. Addressing Physical Deficiencies in the Road System
      • 3.4.8. Human Resources
  • 4. RESULTS – CRASH DATA ANALYSIS
    • 4.1. Crash Data
      • 4.1.1. By Severity
      • 4.1.2. By Year
      • 4.1.3. By Time of Day
      • 4.1.4. By Rural and Urban
      • 4.1.5. By Speed Limit
      • 4.1.6. By Horizontal and Vertical Alignment
      • 4.1.7. By Light Conditions
      • 4.1.8. By Weather Conditions
      • 4.1.9. By Road Surface
      • 4.1.10. By Surface Condition
      • 4.1.11. By Crash Type
      • 4.1.12. By Intersection/Mid-block
      • 4.1.13. By Intersection Type
      • 4.1.14. By Traffic Control
      • 4.1.15. By Object Hit
      • 4.1.16. By Crash Causation Factors
      • 4.1.17. By Seatbelt Worn
      • 4.1.18. By Road User Age
      • 4.1.19. By Sex of Driver
      • 4.1.20. By Vehicle Type
    • 4.2. Crash Rates Analysis
      • 4.2.1. Crash Rates Based on Previous Research
      • 4.2.2. Crash Rates Based on Crash Data from this Review
    • 4.3. Summary of Crash Data Analysis
  • 5. RESULTS – SITE INVESTIGATIONS
    • 5.1. Intersection Sites
    • 5.2. Mid-block Sites
  • 6. RESULTS – IN-DEPTH CRASH ANALYSIS
    • 6.1. Metropolitan Crashes
    • 6.2. Rural Crashes
    • 6.3. Summary
  • 7. RESULTS – WORKSHOP
    • 7.1. Crash Trends on Local Government Roads
      • 7.1.1. Summary of Presentation
      • 7.1.2. Crash Trends Noted by Workshop Participants
    • 7.2. Barriers to Improving Road Safety on Local Government Roads
      • 7.2.1. Summary of the Presentation
      • 7.2.2. Barriers Identified During Workshop Discussion
    • 7.3. Solutions for Improving Road Safety on Local Government Roads
      • 7.3.1. Summary of the Presentation
      • 7.3.2. Solutions Proposed During Workshop Discussion
  • 8. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
    • 8.1. Key Issues
    • 8.2. Recommendations
  • Crash risk and incidence
  • Crash types and contributing factors
  • Measures to improve safety
  • Barriers to improving safety
  • Ways to address these barriers
  • REFERENCES
  • APPENDIX A SITES INVESTIGATED
  • APPENDIX B INSPECTION SHEET
  • APPENDIX C CASR CRASH INVESTIGATION METHODOLOGY
  • APPENDIX D WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
  • APPENDIX E WORKSHOP AGENDA
  • APPENDIX F STATE ROAD CRASH RATES
  • APPENDIX H EXAMPLES FROM IN-DEPTH CRASH ANALYSIS
Related publications
Webinar: Practical Approaches for Managing Regional Road Safety Priorities
WEB-R691-23
Webinar: A National Approach to Measuring Non-fatal Crash Outcomes – Stage 2
WEB-R694-23
Webinar: Road Cross-Section Design for Road Stereotypes and a Safe System
WEB-R619-21
View all related publications
Latest Road Safety News
21 Feb 2024
Star Ratings for Australian Arterial Roads by 2025

In a bid to enhance road safety nationally, Australia's states and territories will commence publishing updated AusRAP star ratings in 2024, with a commitment to publish star ratings for all major arterial roads by 2025.
14 Feb 2024
Austroads to deliver world first hazard perception test for heavy vehicle drivers

Austroads has commissioned Professor Sharon Newnam from the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety to lead a new project to design, develop, and deliver a heavy vehicle hazard perception test for the Australian environment.
View all news