The overarching aim of this project was to identify the precursors to regional and remote road crashes which will enable the overrepresentation of deaths along this road network to be addressed and to recommend achievable and measurable actions over the short and medium term to eliminate road trauma on regional and remote roads.
There were two main elements to the project. Firstly, a review of the published evidence for the contributing factors in regional and remote crashes and the countermeasures that can be applied to mitigate these crashes. Secondly, a series of stakeholder workshops. Stakeholders were representatives from an industry, organization or association that functions in a space that has implications for road safety or who are indirectly involved in road safety through their workplace, with a particular focus on Indigenous Australian or rural/regional/remote road safety.
Key recommended actions include:
- Further leveraging the RoadWise program
- Training workshops to Local Government Associations
- Provision of Safe System training to LGAs
- Community problem solving workshops
- Promotion of the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) to LGAs
- Develop culturally responsive and aware road safety programs
- Develop and promote behavioural solutions for mobile phone distraction
- Purchasing of community buses
- Promote ride sharing in regional and remote communities
- Encourage use of safer travel routes
- Develop resources which address road-related fatigue management as a public health issue
- Proactive risk-based infrastructure improvements
- Evaluate the curve design of the road network
- Application of roadside technologies in at-risk locations
- Conduct demonstration projects and expand based on their effectiveness
- Continued investment into the Run-Off-Road-Program in at-risk regional/remote areas
- Expand successful programs designed to target fatigue and distraction management
- Change speed limits along the regional and remote road network to align with infrastructure safety
- Increase enforcement of speed limits into more regional and remote areas
- Implement self-explaining road design across the road network
- Engage with community members to develop a strategy to reduce speed limits in their areas
- Application of roadside technologies, such as Vehicle Activated Signage, in at-risk locations
- Promote the National Road Safety Partnership Program to heavy vehicle companies
- Encourage heavy vehicle companies to adopt road safety practices
- Promote the Used Car Safety Rating (UCSR) to Learner Drivers and their parents
- Development of a vehicle exchange program
- Safety focussed government vehicle fleet purchasing policies
- Require alcohol and seatbelt interlocks to be installed in all government fleet vehicles
- Develop and promote technical solutions for mobile phone distraction
- Conduct assessments on the routes in and out of towns to determine emergency services access
- Improve the availability of emergency services transportation
- Government vehicle fleet purchasing policies to require in-vehicle GPS location devices
- Encourage uptake of technologies such as personal locator beacons
- Development of a network-wide road safety action plan
- Develop road safety KPIs
