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Safe System Snippet 375: Balancing Safety: How Flexible Barrier Systems Reduce Injury Risk for Light Vehicle Occupants
The more flexible the barrier system, the lower the risk to light...
Safe System Snippet 374: Why Long Vehicles in Australia Can Use Multiple Lanes for Safe Turns
In Australia, trucks and other vehicles over 7.5 metres long that have a DO NOT OVERTAKE TURNING VEHICLE sign on the back are legally allowed to take up more than one lane to turn at corners, intersections and roundabouts. They can even use a right turn only lane to...
Safe System Snippet 373: Enhancing Road Safety and Convenience: The Benefits of Turnaround Bays on the Midland Highway
Check out this turnaround bay on the Midland Highway in Tasmania. As more and more of the road network becomes divided with a central barrier system, turnaround bays provide designated spots for drivers, including those in large vehicles, to safely turn. The bays...
Safe System Snippet 372: Enhancing Motorcycle Safety: The Importance of Mountable Kerbs in Road Design
Kerbing is used to transition from a road to another surface such as a footpath, a nature strip, median or outer separator. The change in height is a hazard to motorcyclists and may destabilise a rider. Where possible, install mountable kerb where motorcycles are...
Safe System Snippet 371: Effective Strategies for Reducing Vehicle Strikes on Low Bridges and Structures
There are a variety of known treatments available for low bridges/structures to lessen the risk vehicle strike. These include: Protection beams: Though highly effective in preventing critical collisions, these come with high installation costs and frequent...
Safe System Snippet 370: Pedestrian fences
Pedestrian fences should be separated from traffic lanes (as per the Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 6, Section 4.2.2), however in certain situations they may need to be placed closer to the road. In these cases, the safety of all road users needs to be carefully...
Safe System Snippet 369: The million-dollar speeding fine
In parts of Europe speeding fines are adjusted to match the speeder’s salary. Finland is best known for this system where the government uses their existing tax data to work out a fine that provides equal disincentive in relation to their earnings (including...
Safe System Snippet 368: “Looked but Failed to See” Motorcycle Crashes
There are often complex reasons behind "looked but failed to see" crashes involving motorcycles at intersections. It’s a common belief that these crashes are solely caused by drivers deliberately ignoring motorcyclists. However, it is a bit more complex. There are...
Safe System Snippet 367: Key Updates in Austroads’ Design Vehicles and Turning Path Templates Guide
Last year Austroads updated the Design Vehicles and Turning Path Templates Guide. Changes in the fourth edition include: A new design vehicle has been created using the existing Austroads passenger vehicle towing a trailer. The dimensions of the trailer are the...
Safe System Snippet 366: Mitigating Risks at Gore Areas: A Key to Highway Safety
The gore area (the wedge between a freeway/motorway exit and the continuing road) has inherent danger due to its presence in the middle of the traffic lanes. Drivers need to navigate, decelerate, and change lanes at, or on the approach to, the gore areas through...
Safe System Snippet 365: Reverse Angle Parking
Click on the factsheet above to check out some pros, cons and handy pointers. What’s been your experience with Reverse Angle Parking? ------------- Sign up to our mailing list for more snippets and news:...
One thousand people now licensed to work with road safety barriers
One thousand people are now trained and licensed to work with road safety barriers through the Austroads Safety Hardware Training and Accreditation Scheme (ASHTAS) operative course delivered by Safe System Solutions. Since July 2023, Safe System Solutions has...
Safe System Snippet 364: Seagull intersections
While seagull intersections can reduce traffic delays through their staged right-turn movements, their implementation has not always translated to improved safety outcomes. Studies have revealed increased crash rates at some seagull intersections. This can be...
Safe System Snippet 363: What influences drink driving?
What influences drink driving? Compared with sober drivers, drink drivers are significantly more likely to be alcohol dependent. Compared with sober drivers, drink drivers are significantly more likely to be male, have lower socio-economic status, and no academic...
Safe System Snippet 362: Optimising the Crossfall of a Roundabout’s Circulating Carriageway
Choosing the appropriate crossfall (slope) for a roundabout's circulating carriageway can be a challenging task. Some key considerations include: Adverse crossfall or positive superelevation?: Adverse crossfall (tilts downward from the center) provides good visibility...
Safe System Snippet 361: Safe Travel to School
Keeping kids safe traveling to and from school isn’t rocket science; prioritise the most vulnerable mode (walking, riding, scooting), remove vehicles where possible, slow any vehicles that remain. Of course, the devil’s in the detail, but click on the image above to...
Safe System Snippet 360: Lateral Protection Devices
Fitted to trucks, Lateral Protection Devices (LPDs) are an effective way to lessen the severity of a crash with a pedestrian or cyclist. According to Knight et. al (2005) the effectiveness of LPDs in preventing fatalities in crashes with the side of large trucks range...
Safe System Solutions on Channel 7 Road Torque series
Safe System Solutions’ Max McCardel was interviewed for Channel 7’s Road Torque series about safety on rural roads in Tasmania. A road safety specialist, Max spoke about the pivotal role of the Safe System approach in reducing road trauma – including the key pillar of...
Safe System Snippet 359: Continuous barriers
High volume roads with high speeds require continuous safety barriers because users will leave the road at random points along the whole route. Rather than designing isolated barriers to shield road users from specific hazards, continuous barriers are designed as a...
Safe System Snippet 358: Same Vehicle, Different Safety
Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) tests are undertaken on standard vehicles, without bullbars or other accessories fitted. As part of the ANCAP rating, a vehicle must provide protection to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users that may be struck by...