A safe system approach

Introduction

The Transport Agency expects to plan and invest in transport solutions that support the achievement of a safe land transport system that is increasingly free of death and serious injury.

Implement the Safer Journeys The government's strategy to guide improvements in road safety over the period 2010–2020. http://www.transport.govt.nz/saferjourneys/Pages/default.aspx strategy

The NZTA will invest in activities aligned with Government’s Safer Journeys Strategy priorities. The Transport Agency will take a leadership role in the implementation of the Strategy and will work with its partners (Approved Organisations, ACC, NZ police and the Ministry of Transport) to address the Government’s Safer Journey high priorities of:

• reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving
• increasing the safety of young drivers
• safe roads and roadsides
• safe speeds, and
• increasing the safety of motorcycling.

Road safety is a priority

Safety is an important issue for all providers, managers and users of the whole land transport system.

The NLTP A National Land Transport Programme Interrelated and complementary combination of activities that, when delivered in a coordinated manner, produce synergies – can span more than one work category and more than one activity class, e.g. a programme could include a road improvement and public transport improvement activities. adopted by the NZTA under section 19 of the LTMA, as from time to time amended or varied Assessment Framework places an emphasis on road safety through the criteria used to assign a medium or high Strategic Fit.

The NZTA focus for planning and investing in road safety outcomes: the Safe System approach

The NZTA states that road safety should be considered an integral part of all land use planning and network optimisation See Optimise levels of service, Optimised transport solution and Optimising public transport services and infrastructure. Network optimisation considers any changing transport demand, all network components including the contribution across modes and existing infrastructure and services. It aims to make better use of existing networks and services towards a outcome or impact and may require relatively small improvements to achieve this. activities and the Safe System approach should be embedded into all of our core business functions. The four guiding principles of the Safe System approach are:

• people make mistakes and crashes are inevitable
• the human body has limited ability to withstand crash forces
• system designers and system users must share responsibility for managing crash forces to a level that does not result in death or serious injury, and
• it will take a whole of system approach to implement the safe system in New Zealand

The Safe System approach requires the designers, managers and operators of the land transport system to consider:

• safe roads and roadsides that are predictable, promote safe behaviour and are forgiving of human error
• safe speeds that suit the function and level of safety of the road, the skill of the driver and the safety of the vehicle
• safe vehicles that incorporate emerging collision avoidance technologies and modern warning systems, and are well maintained to help prevent crashes and protect road users from crash forces, and
• safe use by having drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians who are skilled and competent, proactive in managing hazards, predictable, alert, unimpaired, compliant and make safe choices. 

The NZTA expects that applications for funding of roads safety activities will be focused on effective safety interventions from a safe system perspective, while achieving best value for money Selecting the right things to do, implementing them in the right way, at the right time and for the right price. .

Evaluating the value of road safety interventions

The NZTA expects that its investment partners (Approved Organisations and NZ Police The police of New Zealand within the meaning of the Police Act 1958. ) and the NZTA (state highways) will evaluate the expected benefits to road safety of their planned interventions, investments and actions and will monitor actual benefits achieved.