Urgent action needed to halt regression in Australia’s road safety record
Unpopular but effective road safety solutions such as speed management initiatives are urgently needed if Australia and other countries around the world are to achieve their commitment to halve road fatalities by 2030, according to industry insights contained in a global road safety report released today.
In the three years since Australia aligned its road safety strategy to the United Nation’s global 2021-2030 action plan, the number of Australians killed in road crashes has increased, not declined.
Concerned by this regression, global professional services company GHD undertook a wide-ranging review of the international road safety landscape, which revealed other countries are also grappling with the same challenge.
According to expert insights gathered through policy reviews, case studies and interviews with senior leaders from transport agencies and governments in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the USA, three common and critical levers for improvement were identified: speed management; funding access and allocation; and political leadership and community support.
GHD Technical Director Road and Civil Infrastructure Adam Wilmot said Australia’s road safety record could be turned around and lives saved, with speed management identified as the fastest and most cost-effective lever to pull first.
The Welsh Government made the courageous but controversial move to change speed limits in built-up areas from 48 km/h (30mph) to 32 km/h (20mph) in late 2023.
Early data shows a material reduction in collisions and casualties in Wales in the first quarter of 2024, with the number of injuries on roads with 20mph and 30mph speed limits 19 per cent lower than in the previous quarter and 26 per cent lower than in the same quarter in 2023.
Shifting mindsets and attitudes is critical. We cannot succeed in achieving the ultimate Vision Zero goal of no road fatalities without committed leadership, collaboration and community support, as well as funding targeted to the riskiest parts of our road safety system.
The transport experts we spoke to told us that increased investment in road safety infrastructure upgrades, data analytics, innovative designs and following through on proven strategies and policies is essential for achieving road safety targets, with local governments also emphasising community engagement."
Mr Wilmot said Australians should not accept that “it’s ok or inevitable that 100 people, or even one person will die on our roads each year”.
“It’s not ethically acceptable to stand by and let it happen when we know, from research, and what works on the ground here and overseas, that we can and should be doing more,” he said.
Mr Wilmot said GHD hopes its report — Road Safety Insights for Future Generations — will encourage greater international collaboration and add fresh thinking and momentum to the significant efforts already underway, by transport leaders in the public and private sectors.
Whoever we spoke with across the world, whether it be transport professionals in the cities of Canning in Western Australia, Ottawa in Canada, Christchurch in New Zealand or the Borough of Kingston in London, they all shared the same road challenges: managing speed; getting funding; and garnering community support.
There is significant goodwill and knowledge-sharing that can occur across borders to collectively reduce the global road toll, which stands at a staggering 1.3 million people, with an additional 20-50 million injured annually."
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About GHD
GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 11,000+ professionals are connected across 160 offices located on five continents.