ARRB is a recognised leader in the development of the Safe System vision for road transport. The Safe System approach involves a holistic view of the road transport system and the interactions among roads and roadsides, travel speeds, vehicles and road users. It is an inclusive approach that caters for all groups using the road system, including drivers, motorcyclists, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and commercial and heavy vehicle drivers.
The Safe System approach recognises that people will always make mistakes and may have road crashes—but the system should be forgiving and those crashes should not result in death or serious injury.
ARRB Transport Safety Reports
As the National Transport Research Organisation, ARRB works closely with the road agencies in each of Australia’s states and territories to develop and evaluate road safety treatments. This often involves applying established treatments to existing roads and evaluating their continued benefit, but we also work to trial new and improved techniques and report the findings so others can learn and apply the treatments to their road projects.
Evaluation of Wide Centreline Effectiveness
Do wide centreline treatments save lives?
With the support of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), ARRB undertook an evaluation of the effectiveness of a wide centreline treatment (WCLT) rolled out along the Bruce Highway. The wide centreline treatment targets head-on and cross centreline type crashes, typically some of the most severe crashes that occur on Australia’s regional network. ARRB’s Michael Luy delivered a paper on the before/after evaluation of the wide centreline treatment applied to over 35 km of the Bruce Highway using eight years of crash data to determine the effectiveness of WCLT to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes, all injury crashes and targeted crash types. A benefit cost analysis of the WCLT was also done to assist understanding the financial return from using the WCLT. The success of the WCLT to improve safety along the Bruce Highway has seen the measure included in the 2016 edition of the Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 3 Geometric Design.
Download a copy of the paper by clicking on this link
