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This is the second AAA ‘benchmarking’ or progress report reviewing the implementation and outcomes of the National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS), 2001-2010, and subsequent National Road Safety Action Plans (NRSAPs). 

The NRSS 2001-2010 was formally released by the Federal Minister for Transport, John Anderson in November 2000, and came into effect from January 2001.  The target of the Strategy is to reduce Australia’s road fatality rate per 100,000 population from 9.3 in 1999 to no more than 5.6 in 2010 – a 40% reduction.   

To assist governments and other road safety organisations in achieving this target, a series of National Road Safety Action Plans (NRSAPs) are being released to establish short term strategic objectives.  The first plan, NRSAP 2001-02, was released alongside the NRSS, and established eight such objectives. 

This article looks specifically at the implementation of the NRSAP 2001-02, and in particular, provides an overview of the initiatives we believe have been taken by Commonwealth and State governments since the NRSS was launched.  It is not intended to be an inventory of all road safety initiatives, particularly since many were introduced prior to the introduction of the Strategy. 

As this article will show, recent fatality statistics are disappointing, and that implementation of the NRSAP 2001-02 objectives could have been more rigorously pursued.  In recognition of this, the second plan, NRSAP 2003-04, released in December 2002, has clearly acknowledged that greater efforts need to be made by all parties.  AAA will produce future ‘benchmarking’ reports on the implementation of this new plan. 

Fatality statistics 

In 2002 there were 1,725 fatalities as a result of crashes on Australia’s roads. This represented a fatality rate of 8.75 per 100,000 population.  In Table 1, fatality rates are presented for the States and for Australia, between 1990 and 2002.  Fatality rates are also shown graphically in Figures 1 and 2 for the same period.  The target line of a 40% reduction from 1999 has been included to illustrate progress against the NRSS.

As noted earlier, the national fatality rate in 2002 was 8.75.  While it is pleasing to note that this is the lowest rate recorded in the past decade and continues the downward trend, it is still above that which might be expected if the target is to be achieved.  If we assume that the 40% reduction target is to be met by a simple linear rate of reduction over the eleven years to 2010, then we would expect that by 2002 the national fatality rate would be 8.29, not 8.75.   

Table 1 Fatalities per 100,000 population.

Figure 2 National Road Safety Strategy: Australian comparison of performance (1990-2002) against target (2000-2010).

Admittedly, there will always be variations around the trend, but the fact that the national fatality rate is now ‘behind target’ suggests that even greater gains (and efforts) will have to be made in the ensuing years. 

If we apply the national target to each of the States, then we can see from Figure 1 that five out of the eight states are ‘behind target’.  Only Western Australia, Tasmania and the ACT are ‘on target’.  These results are disappointing, particularly considering that ‘easy gains’ might be expected to be achieved in the early years of the Strategy. 

Fatality rates in New South Wales and the Northern Territory are of particular concern.  These States are not only ‘behind target’, but their fatality rates increased between 2001 and 2002, with NSW moving from 8.36 to 8.58 and NT from 25.58 to 27.49.  It should be noted that the fact that NT has a substantially higher rate than NSW (and all other States) is partly a reflection of the fact that NT has a much lower population.  However, there is no doubt that other factors, such as those relating to Indigenous people,[1] need to be addressed as a matter of urgency in the NT.  WA also saw an increase in its fatality rate, from 8.71 to 9.33, though is still ahead of its target of 10.39.

Road safety initiatives implemented in 2001 and 2002 

The first National Road Safety Action Plan, NRSAP 2001-02, established four key strategic objectives, as well as a measure of how these objectives could contribute towards achieving the target of a 40% reduction in fatalities per 100,000 population: 

1.      Safer Roads                                                                19%

2.      Improved vehicle occupant protection                        10%

3.      Improved road user behaviour                                      9%

4.      New technology to reduce human error                       2%

   Target Reduction                                                      40%

 To supplement these, four additional strategic objectives were also included in the plan: 

5.      Improve equity among road users

6.      Improve trauma, medical and retrieval services

7.      Improve road safety programs through research of safety outcomes

8.      Encourage alternatives to motor vehicle use 

So far, each State has launched, or is planning to launch, its own Road Safety Strategy.  Generally, the focus of the State plans link well with the NRSS, though notably, there tends to be no explicit mention of the NRSS or the NRSAPs in these plans. 

Through discussions with the motoring clubs and searches of the roads authorities’ websites, AAA has reviewed the extent of uptake of the strategic objectives outlined in NRSAP 2001-02 by State and Commonwealth Governments - that is, programs implemented in 2001 and 2002.  As is shown below, measures have been taken up in only five out of eight strategic objective areas.

Strategic Objective 1: Safer roads  

Strategic Objective 2: Improved vehicle occupant protection  

 Strategic Objective 3: Improved road user behaviour 

 Strategic Objective 4: New technology to reduce human error 

¹ The RTA has implemented an advanced traffic management scheme on Sydney’s motorways which operates from central management centres and includes advanced lighting and ventilation systems in tunnels, roadway sensors and closed circuit video cameras.   

Strategic Objective 6: Improve road safety programs through research of safety outcomes 

² A universal system that would provide relevant authorities, including emergency services, with automatic real time crash information.

Of particular note is the link between the estimates of how strategic objectives could contribute to improvements, and the actual introduction of new programs.  While it is noted that the strategic objective areas do overlap to some degree, overall, the uptake has been disappointing. 

Despite the estimate that Safer roads could contribute to 19%, or almost half of the 40% target reduction in the fatality rate, only relatively minor commitments to new programs have been made, although South Australia does seem to be an exception.  It is worth noting that the NRSAP 2001-02 assumes that future Government funding for Safer roads would be maintained in real terms.  We are concerned that Commonwealth and State Governments have not been increasing investments so as to match the 2001-02 investments in real terms, and therefore, are now effectively spending less on roads. 

Improved vehicle occupant protection and new technology to reduce human error, estimated to account for 10% and 2% of the 40% respectively, have seen only one new program introduced and Tasmania joined other states as a member of ANCAP.  On a positive note though, a significant number of new programs have been introduced in the area of Improved road user behaviour, estimated to contribute to 9% of the 40%.   

It is interesting to note also, the uniformity with which programs have been introduced across the States.  Programs such as 50km/h speed limits on urban roads, more speed and red light cameras, more audio tactile pavement markers, tougher penalties and increased enforcement, graduated licensing schemes and alcohol interlocks have all been introduced by a number of states.   

Overall, NSW, Victoria, the Northern Territory and South Australia seem to have been the most active States during the past two years.  In particular, the Northern Territory has made good efforts to introduce a number of new, well focussed programs, and South Australia is introducing new programs to improve road standards. 

Conclusion

This comparison is by no means comprehensive in terms of road safety programs being undertaken in Australia.  There are many programs, at the Commonwealth, State and Local Government levels that were underway, such as Blackspot Programs, and these have continued since the launching of the NRSS.  Nevertheless, this comparison does demonstrate that during 2001 and 2002, the implementation of new programs aimed at reducing the road toll has been patchy and less effective than predicted.

 It seems that unless substantial efforts are made to fulfil the objectives of the new NRSAP 2003-04, and in particular improve the safety of roads, then the prospect of reducing Australia’s fatality rate by 40% by 2010 is going to become increasingly difficult to achieve.