Week 12 Flashcards
What is the Safe System?
The Safe System is a comprehensive approach to road safety that aims to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads. It recognizes that humans make mistakes and are vulnerable in crashes and seeks to create a more forgiving road system that minimizes the consequences of these errors.
What is the core principle of the Safe System?
he core principle of the Safe System is that people make mistakes, but death and serious injury should not be the result. This principle acknowledges human fallibility and the need for a road system that can absorb and mitigate the impact of these mistakes, protecting all road users from severe harm.
What are the key elements of the Safe System?
he key elements of the Safe System are:
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Safer Vehicles: Vehicles are designed to provide better protection for occupants in the event of a crash and include features that can prevent or mitigate crashes altogether.
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Safer Speeds: Speed limits and road design work together to ensure that impact speeds remain within survivable limits, particularly for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists.
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Safer Roads: Road infrastructure is designed to reduce the likelihood and severity of crashes, incorporating features like roundabouts, flexible barriers, and clear lane markings.
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Safer People: Educating and encouraging road users to adopt safe behaviors, such as avoiding distractions, driving sober, and wearing seatbelts, plays a vital role in preventing crashes
Why is a systems approach essential for road safety?
systems approach recognizes that road safety is influenced by the interaction of multiple factors, including human behavior, vehicle design, road infrastructure, and speed. Addressing each of these elements in a coordinated and integrated manner is crucial for achieving lasting improvements in road safety.
How has the Safe System approach been implemented in Victoria?
The Safe System approach is a central component of Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, which aims to halve road deaths and significantly reduce serious injuries. The strategy outlines a range of initiatives and investments focused on improving vehicle safety, promoting safer speeds, enhancing road infrastructure, and encouraging safer behaviors among road users.
What are some key features of safer vehicles?
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Crashworthiness: Features that protect occupants in the event of a crash, such as airbags, seatbelts, and a strong vehicle structure.
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Primary Safety: Features that help prevent crashes from occurring, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS), and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), and Blind Spot Warning (BSW).
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Aggressivity: The likelihood of a vehicle causing injury to others outside the vehicle, such as pedestrians, cyclists, or occupants of other vehicles. This aspect focuses on vehicle design features that minimize the impact on other road users.
How is vehicle safety assessed?
Vehicle safety is assessed by organizations like the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) through a series of crash tests and evaluations. They award star ratings to vehicles based on their performance in various crash scenarios and the presence of safety features. The ratings provide consumers with valuable information about the safety of different vehicle models.
How does the age of the vehicle fleet impact road safety?
Older vehicles generally lack the advanced safety features found in newer models, making them more likely to be involved in crashes and resulting in more severe injuries. The average age of vehicles on Australian roads is about 11 years, and those older vehicles disproportionately contribute to road trauma.
What initiatives can promote a safer vehicle fleet?
What initiatives can promote a safer vehicle fleet?
How does speed affect the risk of a crash?
Speed is a critical factor in both the likelihood and severity of crashes. Higher speeds reduce reaction times, increase braking distances, and amplify the forces involved in an impact. The risk of serious injury or death in a crash rises exponentially with increasing speed.
Why are lower speeds particularly important for pedestrian safety?
edestrians are extremely vulnerable in crashes with motor vehicles. At impact speeds above 30 km/h, the risk of a pedestrian fatality increases sharply. Lowering speed limits in urban areas and around pedestrian crossings is crucial for creating a safer environment for people walking and cycling.
How can safer speeds be achieved?
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Setting appropriate speed limits: Ensure speed limits reflect the function of the road, the surrounding environment, and the vulnerability of road users.
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Enforcing speed limits: Implement effective speed enforcement measures, including the use of speed cameras, police patrols, and technology like point-to-point speed detection.
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Road design: Use traffic calming measures like roundabouts, raised platforms, and road narrowing to naturally encourage lower speeds.
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Education and awareness campaigns: Educate drivers about the dangers of speeding and the importance of adhering to speed limits.
What are some features of safer road infrastructure?
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Roundabouts: These intersections reduce conflict points, force vehicles to slow down, and minimize the severity of crashes by changing the angle of impact.
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Flexible barriers: These barriers prevent vehicles from running off the road or into oncoming traffic, absorbing impact energy and reducing the severity of crashes.
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Raised platforms: These elevated sections of road at intersections and pedestrian crossings help slow vehicles down and improve visibility for both drivers and pedestrians.
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Tactile surfaces: These raised or grooved patterns on the road provide an audible and physical warning to drivers if they are drifting out of their lane.
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Sealed shoulders: These provide a stable surface for vehicles that leave the road, reducing the risk of loss of control and rollover crashes.
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Clear lane markings: These markings provide guidance to drivers, particularly at night and in adverse weather conditions, helping to prevent lane departure crashes.
