Latest News
Safe System Snippet 463: Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM)
The Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM) is one of our tools in our mission to improve railway level crossing RLX) safety. By assessing the risk of collisions at level crossings, ALCAM helps identify critical safety issues and guides effective...
IPWEA Victoria x Safe System Solutions Pty Ltd
This week Safe System Solution had the pleasure of organising a workshop with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) on Active Transport Roundabouts. Typically common roundabouts do not perform well for cyclist safety due to their smaller...
Safe System Snippet 462: Bridge Piers – Extra Protection Required
Bridge piers represent a catastrophic risk if struck by a large vehicle. An impact can compromise the entire structure, endangering many lives and causing massive financial consequences. That’s why barrier systems around bridge piers are designed to contain more and...
Safe System Snippet 461: Roundabouts – not perfect, but nor are humans
Roundabouts are a wonderful road safety feature to reduce the severity of crashes at intersections. Vehicles have to slow down to navigate the roundabout, so when mistakes happen (which they will) the crashes are lower severity. In a 2003 study, Beer K, Hall K, and...
Safe System Snippet 460: Paint By Numbers (AS1742.10)
In the 2024 update to the Australian Standard 1742: Manual of uniform traffic control devices, Part 10: Pedestrian control and protection there was clarification on the correct colours to mark crossing points. ⬛⬜ For a Pedestrian Crossing (AKA Zebra Crossing), it’s...
Safe System Snippet 459: Pedestrian Operated Signals – designers – be extra careful
Pedestrian Operated Signals (POS) are good for encouraging walking by giving pedestrians confidence to cross safely. However, that confidence can sometimes lead to reduced alertness among pedestrians. Meanwhile, drivers at midblock POS have a greater chance of running...
Safe System Snippet 458: Compact Urban Roundabouts
Safe System Solutions completed an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of this compact urban roundabout in Mildura. It showed a 19.20km/h reduction of entry speed (average), with new 85th percentile speed of entering vehicles of 19.26km/h (and 99th percentile...
Safe System Snippet 457: Pedestrian Safety and E-Scooter Collisions
E-scooters have become a preferred mode of micromobility in many cities around the world, but this can come at the cost of pedestrian safety. A recent study by Paudel et al. (2023) offers insights into the dynamics of e-scooter-pedestrian collisions. It highlights...
Safe System Snippet 456: Forward Collision Warning Systems… on motorcycles
Motorcycle safety is evolving with the introduction of advanced technologies, and forward collision warning (FCW) systems are a notable example. While these systems have been common in cars for years, they’ve only recently made their way onto motorcycles, primarily on...
Safe System Snippet 455: Raised medians… good, but its no barrier
Raised medians are a valuable tool in road design. By separating opposing traffic streams, they reduce the likelihood of head-on crashes. However, it’s important to understand their limitations. While raised medians help guide traffic and improve safety, they lack...
Safe System Snippet 454: Motorcyclists and Median Openings
Closing median openings is one of the treatments we recommend in the Making Roads Motorcycle Friendly guidelines (download it free here: https://lnkd.in/gnFcWptT). These openings, while common on many high-volume urban routes, can pose unnecessary risks to...
Safe System Snippet 453: Less is More
Human brains are incredible, but they have limits - especially when processing large amounts of information when driving. Research shows that as a driver’s workload increases, their performance decreases. This is particularly true when navigating roads cluttered with...
Safe System Snippet 452: Filter Turns at Traffic Signals
Filter right turns at signalised intersections is where right turning traffic is allowed to “filter” through gaps in oncoming traffic. These intersections allow drivers/riders to judge and execute turns based on traffic conditions. We have long advocated for a...
Safe System Snippet 451: Median Safety – The Research
We recently prepared a comprehensive report for Austroads emphasising the critical role of median barriers in mitigating the risk of head-on crashes on high-speed, two-lane roads across Australia and New Zealand. Head-on collisions in high-speed environments generate...
Safe System Snippet 450: Building Safer School Crossings
Protecting children as they travel to and from school garners strong community support for robust safety measures. These improvements not only safeguard children but also benefit all road users in school zones. Over the past decade, we’ve worked extensively on road...
Safe System Snippet 449: Wide Median Challenges
Wide Median Treatments were introduced in Victoria during the 1980s as a way to manage side-road movements at intersections on high-speed, divided rural roads. These treatments use wide medians and deflected paths to highlight the intersection and control vehicle...
Safe System Snippet 448: Local Area Traffic Management (LATM) Plans
Keeping speeds down and minimising rat-running through residential areas is not only important for safety but also enhances amenity, encourages active transport, and reduces noise.Developing an LATM plan requires careful analysis of the area, including vehicle...
Safe System Snippet 447: Sign Poles and Motorcyclists
Most road signs in Australia are mounted on galvanized steel tube posts, typically C250L0 (or sometimes lighter C350L0). These posts are designed to deform on impact, reducing vehicle damage and protecting occupants. However, the risk for cyclists and motorcyclists...
Safe System Snippet 446: Post Crash Care
One often overlooked element of the Safe System is post-crash care. This is how quickly and effectively injured parties receive medical attention after a crash event. The speed and quality of care can make a significant difference in reducing the severity of...
Safe System Snippet 445: The Real Cost of Speeding
In 2015, US data scientist Max Galka made a startling revelation in his analysis of the social cost of speeding. For every 1 minute saved by speeding, 2.5 minutes of human life are lost. This data is another way to try to get across the message of the cost of speeding...