Roads Review: Road safety

This month, we asked the industry decision-makers, ‘How can the roads and infrastructure industry raise greater awareness for national road safety?’

Michael Caltabiano, Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) Chief Executive Officer

The Australian industry supporting the research, design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of the road system is totally committed to delivering higher levels of safety in all that we do. There is universal commitment to the target of 50 per cent reduction of deaths on our roads by 2030. This means there must be a step-change in the way in which we develop infrastructure, an acceleration of motor vehicle safety improvements and a commitment to the change in behaviours from motorists that regard their individual experience as paramount to one that values being part of a community on the road. The industry is helping to raise awareness of the necessary step-change in safe system outcomes in everything they do. At ARRB we have developed a new software package called NetRisk2 that translates safety assessment of the road system into engineering solutions that will better utilise existing road funding to save more lives. Every organisation across the sector is working hard every day to improve safety outcomes on the road network.

Mark Piorkowski, Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA) Executive Director, QLD/NT

As an industry we’re aware of how critical it is to communicate road rules and the importance of making good choices particularly where workers on foot are present. As key stakeholders we need to continue to work together closely to harmonise how we operate nationally and seek consistency in the rules that govern road use and our industry. We must also ensure that we continue to leverage our efforts through collaboration in safety initiatives, engagement, and communication through joint targeted safety campaigns that help strengthen our messages and make them heard above the crunch of information impacting people every day.

Peter Muprhy, Alex Fraser Managing Director

Materials suppliers and construction contractors have a responsibility to their people and communities to maintain a relentless focus on road safety. We need to be proactive and innovative wherever possible, implementing new safety technologies in our heavy vehicles to alert, control or eliminate risks. Technologies like speed detection and limiting, lane detection, on board cameras, and fatigue and distraction detection technologies. Employees working on the ground in asphalt crews and traffic control are particularly exposed. Construction sites are very dynamic and even with well-planned traffic management, it is often late changes on site that weaken the separations for workers on the ground. Any change to traffic management requires a pause and reassessment of hazards and controls. We must continue to educate the community about heavy vehicles so that they understand their exposure as pedestrians and road users. Our drivers are supporting the NHVR and Monash University’s National Roads Safety Partnership Program to share their safety strategies with other HV operators and communities.

This article was originally published in the September edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.

If you or someone at your organisation is an industry leader and would like to be a part of this monthly column in 2022, please get in touch with Editor, Tom O’Keane: tom.okeane@primecreative.com.au