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As autonomous vehicles are growing in popularity, the need for clear and consistent signs and line markings are becoming more important. Standards Australia MS-012 committee has been working with Road Authorities and the industries to harmonise signs and line markings...

It’s a common myth that the bulk of head on crashes occur because of inappropriate overtaking manoeuvres. This isn’t true. Across Australia and New Zealand (and across the world in fact), the overwhelming majority of head on crashes are ‘non-overtaking’. They occur...

For traditional guard fence products (Type B or G4 systems) we double nest the rail when we need to omit a post to straddle a service (double nesting means to put two layers of the w-beam face on top of one another). This maintains the deflection and strength in the...

It doesn’t matter how big you make the sign - pedestrians will take the quickest route to their destination.   Delay is linked closely with pedestrians’ desire to take risks. Pedestrians will generally try to shorten distances and reduce waiting times, often ignoring...

Debate in industry continues about the appropriate treatment of side road entries. Options include raised thresholds, continuous footpaths, wombat crossings, painted treatments, bluestone kerbing, warning signs or further education about the road rules for turning...

The risk of a casualty crash doubles (approximately) with each 5km/h increase in travel speed in urban environments, or with each 10km/h increase in speed on higher speed rural roads.Vehicle travel speeds affect both the chance of crash involvement and the severity of...

It’s important to ensure that there is enough area behind a temporary barrier to accommodate the barrier’s deflection and the vehicle roll allowance.   The Working Width of a barrier system is the Dynamic Deflection + System Width + Roll Allowance. These distances...

It is now common practice to install an approved crash tested end terminal on the departure side of a barrier system on an undivided road. This is recognition that vehicles leave their lane to the other side of the road, and the trailing end of the terminal presents a...

The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) harmonised the Queensland MUTCD with the Australian Standard AS1742 series as part of the national harmonisation. The MUTCD now only contains Queensland specific differences to the Australian Standard and...

Drivers most frequently test positive for the use of alcohol and/or cannabis (according to Penning Et Al). These two drugs affect driving ability in a dose-dependent manner especially when used in combination. However, the same study suggested that drivers on cocaine,...

In late 2020, Transport for NSW published a report titled: Mobile speed camera operations in other Australian jurisdictions. In the report they note that all Australian jurisdictions have speed camera programs that include mobile cameras. They state, “Evaluations of...

Congratulations to Ontario’s newest Road Safety Auditors!Earlier this week, Safe System Solutions Pty Ltd. in partnership with Good Roads, delivered our three day Road Safety Audit training course in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. With 32 participants from municipalities,...

Adding a bullbar to a vehicle can make it 50% more deadly. Why is this?:  ⚠ Bullbars cause the mechanics of crashes with pedestrians and cyclists to change. According to Victorian Government research, this can cause death of a pedestrian at half the speed of a vehicle...

Last month, Safe System Solutions Pty Ltd. delivered our Traffic Engineering Fundamentals - Signs and Lines course for Mildura Rural City Council. This one-day technical training is based on the latest Australian Standard AS 1742 series covering the function, and...

Tailgating does not result in a high proportion of death and serious injury in Australia and New Zealand, however a recent study found being tailgated is one of the most stressful driving experiences (Ochenasek Et. Al.).   There have been several concerted efforts to...

We love this. The Safe System in a cartoon. Beautifully illustrated by Hope McConnell from The Spinoff with support from Waka Kotahi – NZTA.  Click on the image to view.

Risk and responsibility… we’re not a fan of this ad.   A bicycle and rider = ~ 80kg and goes ~ 20 km/h. A car = ~ 1,500kg and goes ~ 50km/h in urban areas.   Kinetic energy in the bicycle rider’s control = 1,234J  Kinetic energy for the car driver’s control =...

While kerbing provides a high level of delineation, it provides very little redirective properties. Even barrier kerb doesn’t act like a road safety barrier and is easily mountable by cars and trucks. It is for this reason that we tend to categorise separation using...

Dynamic Visual Obstruction is the term for when a moving vehicle (or propped vehicle) blocks another vehicle’s sightlines. This phenomenon often occurs at signalised intersections when a right turn bay blocks the view for a turning driver/rider (and approaching...

A key principle of the Safe System is that humans make mistakes, but it is important to understand mistake making and be able to categorise into errors and violations. These are two forms of aberration which have different psychological origins and often demand...