Human Factors and Behavioural Change

A fundamental Safe System principle is that humans make mistakes. We provide specialist expertise in human factors and behavioural science to support a road network system that promotes safe choices and prevents and designs for human error.  

 This involves understanding road users’ needs, capabilities, and the reasons for their behaviour to achieve equitable safety outcomes – and intersects with many of the other services we provide: 

• auditing and assessment  
• engineering 
• signage design 
• vulnerable road user safety 
• research and evaluation 

We provide specialist knowledge and best practice across the ‘road user’ area of the Safe System, including enforcement and the use of safety cameras, road safety penalties, managing high risk offenders, education, and driver training and licensing. 

More broadly we provide behavioural expertise to support safe and sustainable transport choices for all road users.  

We also apply systems thinking methods and approaches to support our understanding of what causes human error, the barriers and enablers to implementing Safe System wide interventions, and how we can take a more holistic approach to detecting and responding to high-risk behaviours.