Citation

Connell D, Smart WJ, Levett S, Cleaver M, Job RFS, De Roos M, Hendry T, Foster J, Saffron D. Proc. Australas. Road Safety Res. Policing Educ. Conf. 2011; 15.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, copyright holder varies, Publisher Monash University)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

While advances have been made in reducing the number of fatal crashes on metropolitan roads, the number of fatal crashes on rural roads remains relatively steady. Recent statistics in NSW showed that 66 per cent of all fatalities and 35 per cent of injury crashes occur on rural roads, and 44 per cent of fatal crashes and 13 per cent of injury crashes occur on roads with a speed limit of 100 km/h or more. The NSW Centre for Road Safety (CRS) undertook the Newell Highway Safety Review in 2009 (Roads and Traffic Authority 2009). On the Newell Highway, heavy vehicles comprise 38 per cent of involvements with fatal crashes and 30 per cent of the traffic. The largest proportion of fatal crashes were off-path crashes or rollover crashes. Almost 30 per cent of these fatal crashes were head on crashes, with heavy vehicles being involved in 92 per cent of them. Fatal head-on crashes do not usually involve an overtaking manoeuvre. This trial focused on measures to address out of lane to the right crash types, which can include drift to the right, off to the left then overcorrect to the right, and failure to stay in lane due to inappropriate speed.