WANTED: PROJECTS TO IMPROVE ROAD SAFETY

Given that most accidents are caused by driver error, why not an advertising campaign giving people tips on how to drive more safely – well, really, how to avoid accidents.

I know that defensive driving courses often involve instructors sitting in a car and having the driver tell the instructor all the potential dangers (or the instructor pointing out the dangers) eg: there is a car pulling up at the cross road, danger is that it wont stop or will pull out. So you (as driver) need to check that the car is stopped. Best way – look at their wheels, because you can tell if a wheel is turning. Then see if the driver is looking in your direction. Or you notice the driver of the car in the lane next to you has turned and looked at you. Does this mean s/he might be changing lanes, even though the indicator is not on? What do you do – slow down and leave a gap between you and the car in front, just in case. Or you are driving along a country road at night and a car coming towards you blinds you with their headlights – what do you do? Or a fox appears in the middle of the road – what do you do?

Its all well and good to say ‘make getting a licence harder’ but the vast majority of people on the road already have a licence, so making it harder is a very long term remedy.

Giving a few tips – in a genuine non patronising way, that isn’t a ‘you are doing it wrong, stop it’ attitude (like speeding, drink driving, mobile phone use etc ads usually are) – encouraging people to realise what dangers exists and what they can do to minimise those dangers, surely will reduce accidents.

All of the ‘priority areas’ identified are serious, but they are all things people already know are wrong and nonetheless they chose to do it. A few more campaigns waving a disappointed finger at them isn’t going to change anything. But a campaign that teaches people new skills, rather than trying to stop them doing something, surely is both worth the effort and will get more attention than yet another ad saying the same things as has been said many time over many years.

damien haas said :

I wonder if the decline in road fatalities due to alcohol has been matched with a rise in fatalities due to mobile phone use.

Every day i see drivers on their mobile phone – an offence the much vaunted ‘safety cameras’ dont detect. Yesterday I was catching the bus back from Belconnen and from the bus window saw a person with an iPad on their steering wheel – while driving along Ginninderra Drive.

Safety camera don’t detect drink drivers either (your other comparison point). So, not sure why they come into that comparison?

NoImRight said :

Whatever they arent doing in the fricken Netherlands gets my vote.

Really?

You say this despite their road deaths being roughly the same as ours in 1971 (Netherlands over 3300, Australia 3590)… at which time the Dutch decided to invest heavily in bicycle in infrastructure and push people back onto bicycles.

In recent years, our road deaths, 1,488 in 2009, 1,352 in 2010.

In the Netherlands, 720 and 640 respectively.

Despite the commitment of the Dutch clearly paying off, despite proof that proper dedicated bicycling facilities within built up areas are considerably safer than catering primarily for motor vehicles… we continue to treat car as king consider cyclists as less entitled to their own infrastructure.

Why?

Just to confirm… given the chance to have our road deaths decline at double the speed that they have been, you would chose not to take that option?

NoImRight said :

Whatever they arent doing in the fricken Netherlands gets my vote.

How about Sweden then

Whatever they arent doing in the fricken Netherlands gets my vote.

I wonder if the decline in road fatalities due to alcohol has been matched with a rise in fatalities due to mobile phone use.

Every day i see drivers on their mobile phone – an offence the much vaunted ‘safety cameras’ dont detect. Yesterday I was catching the bus back from Belconnen and from the bus window saw a person with an iPad on their steering wheel – while driving along Ginninderra Drive.

I’m with the black boxes and cameras guy. An accurate record of any accidents will make people drive more carefully. We need to treat road transport as seriously as we treat air or train transport. Not just write off the costs of accidents as the price of convenience.

The laws we have regarding road safety are adequate. What they need is greater enforcement.
One doesn’t need a study grant to work that out.

Sgt.Bungers said :

Okwhatever said :

BicycleCanberra said :

How about spending money to improve cycle/footpaths.I can’t remember seeing a path without being cracked, broken, lifted up,overgrown and covered with dirt,leaves rubbish. Every time the grass is mowed the paths are covered with grass.

I think you have had enough of my money spent on your infrastructure thanks.

Say what?

Are you aware that Australia wide, motor vehicle crashes alone cost Australia nearly $18 billion a year? (BITRE 2006)

Passenger vehicle and light commercial vehicle registration and CTP insurance, assuming a very generous average cost of $1000 per year, raises around $15 billion?

Most transport infrastructure funding comes from general revenues, such as income tax, GST, stamp duty, etc.

Given that cyclists and pedestrians cost the least amount of money in terms of wear and tear on road infrastructure, social costs, crash costs, environmental costs… not only should we be investing far more heavily on dedicated cycling and pedestrian infrastructure… it could be argued that State, Territory and Federal governments should be refunding money to those who don’t privately own a motor vehicle. To be fair of course.

In Canberra it is impossible for most families not to at least own a car at present, but with balanced investment in cycling infrastructure, intelligent city planning, that could easily change in a period as short as a couple of decades.

Back on topic, big investment in cycling infrastructure would also be a massive win for road safety, as seen in the Netherlands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o

Couldn’t have said it better myself, and the Netherlands has some of the best roads in the world…..

http://youtu.be/O7VkXWubgcY

……….. you don’t see cyclists having to ride in the shoulders of the motorways, as we are encouraged to do here.

Okwhatever said :

BicycleCanberra said :

How about spending money to improve cycle/footpaths.I can’t remember seeing a path without being cracked, broken, lifted up,overgrown and covered with dirt,leaves rubbish. Every time the grass is mowed the paths are covered with grass.

I think you have had enough of my money spent on your infrastructure thanks.

Say what?

Are you aware that Australia wide, motor vehicle crashes alone cost Australia nearly $18 billion a year? (BITRE 2006)

Passenger vehicle and light commercial vehicle registration and CTP insurance, assuming a very generous average cost of $1000 per year, raises around $15 billion?

Most transport infrastructure funding comes from general revenues, such as income tax, GST, stamp duty, etc.

Given that cyclists and pedestrians cost the least amount of money in terms of wear and tear on road infrastructure, social costs, crash costs, environmental costs… not only should we be investing far more heavily on dedicated cycling and pedestrian infrastructure… it could be argued that State, Territory and Federal governments should be refunding money to those who don’t privately own a motor vehicle. To be fair of course.

In Canberra it is impossible for most families not to at least own a car at present, but with balanced investment in cycling infrastructure, intelligent city planning, that could easily change in a period as short as a couple of decades.

Back on topic, big investment in cycling infrastructure would also be a massive win for road safety, as seen in the Netherlands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuBdf9jYj7o

Alderney said :

Learners to do more hours with qualified/registered driving instructors. Driving is a right not a privilage, if you can’t afford to learn, how the hell will you afford to maintain a roadworthy vehicle. Desire is a powerful motivator..

It’s not always knowing about ‘how’ to drive, but chosing to do it correctly.

I was not prepared to pay the fortune that driving instructors charge – and so was taught by my parents. I have not had a single accident or fine.
It’s peope’s attitudes, not who taught them that is the problem here!

replace speed cameras on straight sections of road with tailgating cameras.

Okwhatever said :

Why is it that drug driving is driving with the drugs present in your system but drink driving only happens when you have a certain amount of alcohol in your system? I struggle to understand how drug driving can be tested for when there are no designated levels of intoxication indicated. If you are going to preach about any drugs in your system being bad then why not have the same rule for alcohol?

With illegal drugs it’s not relevant what is or isn’t the level of intoxication, what is relevant is the fact they are umm… illegal and you aren’t supposed to take any, at all, ever.

To have zero alcohol ban I believe is impossible as some (legal) drugs can give an alcohol reading when breath tested.

Alderney said :

Double demerits and double fines for anyone caught breaking the road rules with a person under the age of 16 or 18 in the car.

And automatic fines and demerits for anyone with a My Family sticker arrangement on their car.

Can’t believe no-one’s said MOAR speed cameras” yet :-\

Okwhatever said :

Why is it that drug driving is driving with the drugs present in your system but drink driving only happens when you have a certain amount of alcohol in your system? I struggle to understand how drug driving can be tested for when there are no designated levels of intoxication indicated. If you are going to preach about any drugs in your system being bad then why not have the same rule for alcohol?

Coz they’re only testing for illegal drugs, so any quantity is an offence. Nothing to do with safety per se other than the assumption that drugs are bad, mmmmkay.

“

p1 said :

Large blue and orange flashing signs by the roads side which say BEWARE OF DISTRACTIONS.

😀

BicycleCanberra said :

Okwhatever said :

How about spending the money on doing a better job fixing and installing our roads. I can remember when seeing a pothole in Canberra was pretty much unheard of, now every time it rains holes magically appear in the roads.

How about spending money to improve cycle/footpaths.I can’t remember seeing a path without being cracked, broken, lifted up,overgrown and covered with dirt,leaves rubbish. Every time the grass is mowed the paths are covered with grass.

I agree, I’m sick of getting broken spokes because of the crap state of the cycle paths.

Also building sites should be forced to maintain the on-road cycle paths going past their works f#$&@^%& c%$@!

I have cars (note the plural) and I ride. I only drive when I have to.

I drive, I ride, I vote!

johnboy said :

if only we could think about “our money” and “our infrastructure”.

We do – for a given definition of “our.” Many of the posts on RA are about “us” and “them.”

BicycleCanberra said :

How about spending money to improve cycle/footpaths.I can’t remember seeing a path without being cracked, broken, lifted up,overgrown and covered with dirt,leaves rubbish. Every time the grass is mowed the paths are covered with grass.

There is a beautiful new flat piece of bike lane outside the new ANU housing in Marcus Clarke. Of course, its only 100m long and you cant use it yet. But soon you can have 5 seconds of bliss….

Double demerits and double fines for anyone caught breaking the road rules with a person under the age of 16 or 18 in the car. It may take 20 years to see the results, but learned behaviour will alter dramatically.

I’m not advocating this postion is a panacea, but I’d estimate there would be significant behavioural improvements over time. This would result in good savings to the State via enforcement (allocation of scarce resources), hospitals, courts, improvements in productivity etc.

Limit provisional licence holders to a power to weight ratio similar to that of motorbikes (not sure if this is the case already, I think it is in some jurisdictions). E.g. Make them all drive Diahatsu Sirions…

The State to take possession and to sell the vehicle used by a 2nd, 3rd etc time unlicensed/disqualified drivers. If the vehicle is not theirs, the owner receives a warning and the next time their car is seized.

Learners to do more hours with qualified/registered driving instructors. Driving is a right not a privilage, if you can’t afford to learn, how the hell will you afford to maintain a roadworthy vehicle. Desire is a powerful motivator.

Compulsary third party property insurance. Why should someone who does not have comprehensive insurance have their life stuffed up by anothers inability to drive/pay attention?

I got lots of these, but I won’t be putting in a submission. I gotta work for a living. Happy to help someone out putting a submission together if required though.

Okwhatever said :

BicycleCanberra said :

How about spending money to improve cycle/footpaths.I can’t remember seeing a path without being cracked, broken, lifted up,overgrown and covered with dirt,leaves rubbish. Every time the grass is mowed the paths are covered with grass.

I think you have had enough of my money spent on your infrastructure thanks.

Er over $1 Billion dollars spent in the last 10 years on roads and another $150 million for the next four. Less than 8% spent on cycle paths and footpaths over that time and only  $3 million a year over the next 3. I think we know where the money is being spent and your worried about a couple of pot holes.

A survey in the latest Transport for Canberra document stated that there should be a fairer distribution of transport dollars. More people what more money spent on cycling and walking!

if only we could think about “our money” and “our infrastructure”.

BicycleCanberra said :

How about spending money to improve cycle/footpaths.I can’t remember seeing a path without being cracked, broken, lifted up,overgrown and covered with dirt,leaves rubbish. Every time the grass is mowed the paths are covered with grass.

I think you have had enough of my money spent on your infrastructure thanks.

Okwhatever said :

How about spending the money on doing a better job fixing and installing our roads. I can remember when seeing a pothole in Canberra was pretty much unheard of, now every time it rains holes magically appear in the roads.

How about spending money to improve cycle/footpaths.I can’t remember seeing a path without being cracked, broken, lifted up,overgrown and covered with dirt,leaves rubbish. Every time the grass is mowed the paths are covered with grass.

How about spending the money on doing a better job fixing and installing our roads. I can remember when seeing a pothole in Canberra was pretty much unheard of, now every time it rains holes magically appear in the roads.

Why is it that drug driving is driving with the drugs present in your system but drink driving only happens when you have a certain amount of alcohol in your system? I struggle to understand how drug driving can be tested for when there are no designated levels of intoxication indicated. If you are going to preach about any drugs in your system being bad then why not have the same rule for alcohol?

DarkLadyWolfMother said :

You cant … get t-boned at a roundabout.

I beg to differ on this point. Having attended an accident where just this happened. Never underestimate idiot drivers.

Well, I screwed that up. I was trying to reply to turbodewd saying you can’t get t-boned on roundabouts.

You cant … get t-boned at a roundabout.

I beg to differ on this point. Having attended an accident where just this happened. Never underestimate idiot drivers.

turbodewd said :

Less intersections and more roundabouts. You cant run a red roundabout or get t-boned at a roundabout. I cringe at some ACT intersections which are low/medium traffic at any hour and I see cars stationary on RED while no cars are moving.

And roundabouts are greener – cars lose fuel economy badly when they have to stop and start.

But you can be cut off on a roundabout by retards that try to drive in a near straight line past a roundabout going from the outside lane to the inside lane.

* Separate cars and bicycles.

* Recycle the cars of texters, unlicensed and drink drivers. Recycle repeat texters, unlicensed and drink drivers.

* Re-build the rail network and get trucks off the highways.

* Synchronise traffic lights.

* Re-instate annual vehicle inspections or, at least, headlight alignment checks.

Fewer Police on the roads…

I am currently forced to use twice the necessary amount of fuel, driving the long way to places, to avoid getting defected.

So Who’s REALLY to blame for global warming?!

More dirt roads. Pull up the tar, and get it nice and gravelly. Only thing is the government will go broke, no more speeding money.

Less intersections and more roundabouts. You cant run a red roundabout or get t-boned at a roundabout. I cringe at some ACT intersections which are low/medium traffic at any hour and I see cars stationary on RED while no cars are moving.

And roundabouts are greener – cars lose fuel economy badly when they have to stop and start.

whitelaughter said :

Cyclists are quite happy to go over hills etc; it makes the trip more interesting and is useful when trying to get fit.

Speak for yourself. Some do, some don’t. I don’t. I’ve gone out of my way seeking flatter roads on the way home.

Personally, I think technology isn’t that far off where we won’t have to worry about road safety. The game change is approaching so fast and so few of us realise it. Every year our cars get a little more technologically advanced. The safety features of expensive cars filter down to the cheapest. We’re still a way away from an autonomous car sans steering wheel, but not that far. We’ve already got cars that park themselves, cruise controls that lock on to cars in front and stability control and ABS. But they’re just the pre-cursors. Audi this year is bringing out a traffic jam mode in the A8. This will allow the car to drive/steer itself up to 60km/h in a traffic jam all the while following the lane and ready to brake. The Google self driving car has already clocked up 200,000 accident free miles.

The toughest hurdles in the future will be trust and legal issues for autonomous cars.

I forget, how many road deaths did we have last year?

Expand the cycle paths *away* from the roads.
The cycle paths are currently set up for exercise/relaxation, rather than transport, so cyclists are on the roads as often as not. Cycle paths should run through the parks/hills, well away from other traffic, so that they’re safer and more pleasant; and end at covered bike racks 0.5k away from each city centre, so that people can safely chain their bikes and then walk the rest of the way to work. Cyclists are quite happy to go over hills etc; it makes the trip more interesting and is useful when trying to get fit.

Large blue and orange flashing signs by the roads side which say BEWARE OF DISTRACTIONS.

Indicators.

Have someone invent a camera we can install at every intersection that fines people for not using their indicators early enough.

Thats my biggest gripe with other drivers, everyone seems to put on the indicator AS they start the turn (especially older drivers and fat women in 4wds). Etheir people start putting them on 5secs before they turn or we should just do away indicators for good.

We just don’t get it, the easier we make it to drive the more people will do something else like texting while driving.

If you want zero fatalities just replace steering wheel air bag with a large spike. You’ll find then everybody instantally becomes the most considerate, attentive and safe drivers around.

Everyone else’s solution revolves around placing a bigger and bigger bubble around people, making roads straighter, easier to drive on, bigger barriers and more police.

We need to encourage people to pay more attention to the roads not less.

Road User (not just Car Driver) Training is conspicuously absent from the list of priority areas.

Increase the speed limit on Gungahlin Drive.

Not true. I drive a BMW and I sometimes text and drive.

Well, since the ACT & NSW transport ministers (past and present) are aware of my opinion on what can help road safety (better education, stricter licence testing, road maintenance and more police on the beat/road), I’m going to go out on a limb with this one:

Install a camera in every ACT registered vehicle mounted above the drivers head that covers the instrument panel, the centre and RH door mirror and the view ahead. This camera incorporates a GPS unit which records location, direction of travel and speed. The camera operates any time the key is in the ignition and transmits all recorded information back to the ACT RTA in real time.

Then, as a requirement to receive centrelink payments, each centrelink recipient will be required to review a certain amount of recorded footage. Any time a reviewer notes a breach of the road rules it is reported & the centrelink recipient receives a bonus over and above their centrelink payment.

Any attempt to tamper with the camera will result in an automatic disqualification of the vehicles registration and the owners drivers licence.

Please note that this is posted with the greatest of sarcasm, although I’m sure the government will think it’s the best idea since the speed camera…

Ban Hondas. People who own them text while driving. So do people they lend their car to.