Strategic directions
Directions—what the strategy aims to achieve by 2020
These directions form a broad picture of the major changes expected to take place over the period of the strategy.
Safe Roads
- Adoption of improved standards for road design, construction and operation to reflect Safe System principles.
- All new roads and upgrades of existing roads will be designed, built and operated in accordance with Safe System principles.
- A substantial reduction in serious casualties due to run-off-road, head-on and intersection crashes.
- All levels of government to:
- have assessed risk on their road network and re-focused road investment programs to treat higher-risk sections of the road network (road segments, traffic routes and defined areas) in addition to more targeted black spot programs
- have adopted and applied the willingness-to-pay methodology to value reductions in fatalities and injuries
- be assessing the benefits and costs of safety treatments using a whole-of-life assessment
- have accepted accountability and responsibility for the road safety performance of their networks in accordance with Safe System principles.
Safe Speeds
- Speed limits that reflect a better balance between safety and mobility objectives.
- A substantial improvement in overall compliance with speed limits, particularly on highly trafficked and/or higher-risk sections of the road network.
- Network-wide alignment of speed limits with the inherent risk and function of the road and roadside environment.
Safe Vehicles
- A regulatory system ensuring that proven safety design features and technologies are mandated in new Australian vehicles as quickly as possible.
- A greater penetration of five-star ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) rated vehicles in the general fleet, with ANCAP star ratings available for all new vehicles.
- A reduction in the average fleet age in Australia.
- Enhanced safety commitment from the commercial sector, including a demand for fleets to be equipped with key safety features such as five-star ANCAP rated vehicles, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), side curtain airbags, alcohol and seatbelt interlocks, and Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA).
- A substantial increase in the proportion of heavy vehicles with advanced braking systems and other safety technologies.
- Significant improvement in the safety of the light commercial vehicle fleet.
Safe People—responsible road use
- Australia will have a best practice graduated licensing scheme for novice drivers and riders.
- Increased use of effective protective equipment by motorcyclists.
- Substantially improved access to graduated licensing, and to vehicles with higher safety ratings, for Indigenous people.
- A best practice framework for the assessment of older drivers' fitness to drive will be available and all jurisdictions will have effective processes for managing older driver licensing.
- Development of suitable technology to combat driver fatigue.
- Road safety education resources will be developed and available to the pre-primary sector and all primary and high schools.
Safe People—irresponsible road use
- Elimination of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs as significant contributors to road trauma.
- Elimination of illegal mobile phone use while driving.
- A substantial reduction in the rate of driving by those without a licence.
- All vehicle occupants are effectively restrained.