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Safe System Snippet- Curves and Crashes: Understanding Road Factors Vehicles crash to both the inside and outside of curves. The crashes to the inside of a curve usually involves an overcorrection and associated yawing. There are a series of road and roadside factors...

There are a variety of roundabout designs that deviate from the traditional circular roundabout. These include (but not limited to): Teardrop/raindrop Dog bone Dumbbell Tennis Ball Peanut Turbo Squarcle Cut through Hamburger Each of these can be used in unique...

A MUARC study from NSW shows that 55.2% of emergency vehicle collisions involve police cars, compared to 10.9% for ambulances and 4.8% for fire brigade vehicles. Police duties often involve unpredictable high-speed manoeuvres, placing drivers at unique risk....

The emergence of e-scooters presents both opportunities and challenges regarding their safe and harmonious integration with the existing transportation system. Traditional modes (walking, cycling, motorcycling and driving) have seen over a century of legislative,...

We’ve done various Austroads and jurisdictional projects relating to trike safety and trike incident investigations. Licensing, training and assessment of trike riders can be ambiguous. We’ve assembled some key points and prompting questions in the linked fact sheet...

The inherent vulnerability of motorcycles is heightened by their reduced visibility. Motorcycles' slender profile, susceptibility to environmental factors, and potential masking by other vehicles present challenges for other motorists seeing riders. Research conducted...

The German Autobahns have an average crash rate of 130 injuries per billion vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT). The Hume Freeway has a crash rate of 33 injures per billion VKT. Check out more details in a fact sheet we produced: Speed Limit Myths Fact Sheets...

Trucks are more likely to roll than skid when travelling too quickly through a curve/corner (unlike cars). That’s why changes in superelevation (i.e. crossfall) within an intersection can have big impacts on vehicle stability.  In general, the crossfall adopted for...

15% of injuries for motorcyclists are pelvic injuries according to research from Transurban Road Safety Centre at NeuRA. They simulated a variety of fuel tank designs and sitting positions and found that fuel tanks with a lower angle or more gradual rise from the...

Article from our Principal Engineer, Kenn Beer Start with 3 x AussiesRun 2 x Road Safety Audit courses Create 31 x new Road Safety AuditorsEat 500 x TimbitsDeliver 4 x conference presentationsComplete 1 x Road Safety AuditRegret 4 x tattoos (they “should” wash off...

Article from our Principal Engineer, Kenn Beer There is a lot of discussion in our industry about the capability of Road Safety Auditors. We often hear statements like ‘the bar is too low’ or ‘you have to have at least 10 years experience to be an Auditor’ or ‘they’re...

Article from our Principal Engineer, Kenn Beer Roundabout, mini-roundabout, compact roundabout, traffic circle, rotunda, rotary… what’s the difference and why? I was in Mackay, Queensland, this week running a Safe System Assessment course, and saw on Google Maps the...

Article from our Principal Engineer, Kenn Beer I’m seeing a lot of Road Safety Audits (RSAs) done by the same company that did the design. This risks the integrity of the RSA and the RSA practice overall. One of the fundamental principles of RSAs is 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲....

The intersection geometry at crossroads can create a visual phenomenon known as the "see-through effect." This occurs when drivers or riders misinterpret the road layout, failing to recognise the need to stop or give way due to the straight alignment of intersecting...

In a growing number of jurisdictions, lane filtering has emerged as a legal practice for motorcyclists. This manoeuvre allows riders to navigate through slow-moving or stationary traffic at low speeds, often reaching the front of a congested queue. The potential...

Research highlights the potential dangers of distractions for cyclists, particularly those related to mobile phone use and listening to music. Here's a breakdown of the findings:  Mobile Phone Use:  Impaired situational awareness: Cyclists engaged with their phones...

Wire rope barrier systems (also called cable barrier systems) can be struck from either side by an errant vehicle and they will function as intended. This, and their narrow width, makes them a useful system for medians (wide or narrow).   There are also a variety of...

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) includes Vulnerable Road User tests, including a pedestrian crash test that estimates likely head and leg injuries to child and adult pedestrians. The tests are conducted with head-forms and leg-forms fired at the...

Urban areas are complex and lower speeds means vehicles have more time to react to the frequent hazards that arrive in their travel path.   The data is clear - lower speeds lead to significant safety improvements:  Reduced likelihood of crashes: decreased speeds...

Because Wire Rope Safety Barrier systems consist of ropes in tension, the minimum allowable horizontal curve radius is 200 metres in most jurisdictions. When designing, the effect of the curve on barrier deflection should also be considered.  The minimum allowable sag...