One of our course participants recently said, “I’d heard that you can’t have traffic signals with a Safe System”
A common misunderstanding.
Of course we can have traffic signals in a Safe System. The question isn’t the treatment, it’s the outcome. If speeds and angles are managed so that inevitable mistakes don’t lead to death or serious injury, then we’re aligned with Safe System principles.
Another misconception is that the Safe System has stopped trying to prevent crashes. Not true at all. We continue to do everything we can to reduce mistakes. But expecting perfect human behaviour all the time is unrealistic and tends to push people toward blame rather than better design.
With that in mind, here’s a fact sheet on how traffic signals can be improved to better align with Safe System principles. These treatments won’t replace the need to manage speed where it exceeds tolerable levels, but they can significantly reduce the likelihood of common crash types.
David Nash and Thuan Nguyen deliver the Safe System Solutions Traffic Signals training course. We only run courses that build a Safe System. That means traffic signals absolutely have a place in the Safe System End State. They just need to be designed and managed so that speeds and angles stay within tolerable limits.
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