1. An overview of road safety in Victoria
James Holgate, Director, Road User Safety
May 2012

2. Today’s presentation
1. Victoria’s road safety strategy
2. Governance
3. Inter agency coordination
4. Road safety capacity

3. Road safety in Victoria
 Best practice
 Aggressive targets
 Specific target groups, eg. children, vulnerable road
users

4. www.atcouncil.gov.au/documents/files/NRSS_2011_2020_20May11.pdf

5. National Road Safety Strategy
 Targets
 Safe system principles
 Shared responsibility
 Corporate responsibility
 International collaboration
 Interventions
 Directions – achievements by 2020
 First Steps – actions by 2014
 Future steps – issues for consideration
But responsibility for implementation is largely with
the States and Territories
[PDF]: www.atcouncil.gov.au/documents/files/NRSS_2011_2020_20May11.pdf

6. Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy

7. Victoria’s road safety strategy
arrive alive
2008-2017
Reduce road
trauma by 30%
 The Safe System approach
 Agreed and publicised targets
Safe System
(aims to reduce the number of crashes, and should a crash occur reduce the severity of
injury by the management of crash forces to survivable levels through the interaction of
 Overarching range of actions at any time
Safer Speeds, Safer Roads & Roadsides and Safer Vehicles)
o
Unde
crashe
ng)
Safe Road Safe Roads &
Safe Vehicles
Users Roadsides

8. Higher crash risk of young drivers
Session
four

9. Peer passenger restrictions
 Novice driver fatal crash risk increases four times
when carrying more than one peer passenger
 Around 26% of first year probationary drivers
involved in fatal crashes are carrying two or more
peer passengers
 From 1 July 2008, P1 probationary drivers have
been restricted to carrying one peer passenger

10. Targeted road improvements

11. Electronic stability control (ESC)
 ESC helps drivers to avoid crashes by reducing the danger of
skidding, or losing control
 Australian research indicates that ESC reduces the risk of
single vehicle crashes:
– by 30% across all vehicle types
– by over 50% For 4WD vehicles

13. Governance
 Partnership model
 Meeting of Ministers
 Parliamentary Road Safety Committee
 Watchdogs

14. Managing road safety in Victoria
Transport Cabinet Committee
Minister for Roads ENSURES THE ACHIEVEMENT
OF A CO-ORDINATED
Minister for Police & Emergency APPROACH TO ROAD
Services SAFETY IN VICTORIA
Minister Responsible for TAC
Parliamentary
Road Safety REPORTING DIRECTION / ENDORESEMENT
Committee
Road Safety Executive Group
Road Safety Management Group
CO-ORDINATION BY VICROADS
External Stakeholder Victorian Community Road Local Government
Consultation Safety Alliance
National Issues Road Safety Education
Group

15. Agency roles
Road safety policy, management of the
road safety strategy, management of
the Road Safety Act, communications
Courts system, infringements system,
road safety camera program
Third party insurance, communications
Enforcement

16. Frequent, formal meetings
 Road Safety Management Group
 Road Safety Executive Group
 High level, day-to-day meetings

17. Road safety capacity - framework

18. Framework
 Results focus
 Coordination
 Legislation
 Funding and resource allocation
 Promotion
 Monitoring and evaluation
 Research and development and knowledge transfer

19. Extending capacity beyond government
 Research
 Advocacy
 Corporate involvement in road safety
 Community engagement

20. Research
 Victoria conducts substantial road safety research
programs
 Key challenge: transfer research knowledge to build
capacity among practitioners, policy makers and to
inform public debate

21. Advocacy
 Active support across all levels
 Importance of continuing to promote Safe System
thinking and building strong support for key road safety
initiatives
 Local government and community road safety councils
are important partners at the local level, with major
roles in advocacy and increasing the understanding of
road safety issues in their community

22. Corporate involvement
 Corporations have established relationships with
employees and the community
 Talk to community through their brand
 Strength of influence
 OHS
 Good corporate citizenship

23. Community engagement
 Community involvement in local settings:
– Providing government and other decision-makers with a
clear and accurate understanding of the public’s priorities
and needs, especially at the local level
– Promoting Safe System thinking and building strong
support for key road safety initiatives
– Disseminating tailored, relevant information quickly to the
right target audiences locally
– Advocating for road safety as well as
encouraging others too
– Key challenge: encouraging personal
responsibility for road safety