MODULE 2

A SYSTEMATIC
APPROACH TO ROAD
SAFETY
EBRD Road Safety Engineering
E-learning Package
 ROAD SAFETY ROAD CASUALTIES ARE
ENGINEERING
HAS A VITAL ROLE PREVENTABLE
TO PLAY
THE GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY ACTION
PLAN INCLUDES SAFER ROADS IN ITS
‘5 PILLARS’

Safer
Roads
Safer Improved
Road safety Safer
Road Post-
manage- Vehicles
Users Crash
ment
Care
BUT SAFER ROADS ARE JUST ONE PART
OF A SAFE SYSTEM FOR EFFECTIVE
CASUALTY REDUCTION

Road safety Safer Safer Safer Improved

Vehicles Road Post-
manage- Roads
Users Crash
ment
Care
Road Safety Management
Road Safety Management
Road Safety Management
Road Safety Management
OLD APPROACHES TO
ROAD SAFETY
• Crashes caused by ‘bad luck’ –
solutions were ad hoc

• Crashes caused by ‘bad drivers’ –

solutions: education and fines

• Crashes caused by a combination

of road users, roads and vehicles
– solutions: education,
engineering and technical
improvements
Collectorsweekly.com
 HADDON’S MATRIX
Dr William Haddon of the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety realised that road safety was a complex system
needing a systematic approach and treatment:
William Haddon Jr, M.D. • Pre-crash
• During a crash
• Post crash
 THE HADDON MATRIX

3 Phases of a road crash

Source: Haddon Jr W., Advances in the epidemiology of injuries as a basis for public policy. Public
Heath Report, 1980, 95:411-421
Before crashes take
place, there are
PRE-CRASH PHASE
opportunities for
CRASH PREVENTION

e.g.
Education
Awareness
Enforcement
HUMAN FACTORS can affect the likelihood of a crash:

• Is the road user well informed about road risk, and likely to take precautions?
• Do they have risky attitudes? A big factor in high casualties among young male
drivers is that they are often risk-takers.
• Is the road user impaired by fatigue, drugs, drink, or a health issue?
• Do the police enforce road rules, and do road users think they are likely to be caught if
they break the law?
 Before crashes take
PRE-CRASH PHASE
place, there are
opportunities for
CRASH PREVENTION

e.g.
ACTIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS
and roadworthy vehicles
VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT can affect the likelihood of a crash:

• Is the vehicle roadworthy?

• Is it well-maintained, so that lights, brakes and other safety equipment work?
• Does it have functioning active safety systems – features that help to prevent
crashes? These include traction control, electronic stability control, autonomous
emergency braking. There are advanced driver assist systems that also help prevent
collisions, such as lane departure and forward collision warnings.
 PRE-CRASH PHASE
Before crashes take
place, there are
opportunities for
CRASH PREVENTION

e.g.

Well-designed roads
Good maintenance
Safe speeds
Accessibility
THE ROAD ENVIRONMENT can greatly affect the likelihood of a crash:

• Has the road been designed with road safety as a key consideration?
• Is it well-maintained, with no dangerous potholes, damaged barriers or other hazards?
• Does it have functioning street lighting and traffic signals?
• Is it accessible and safe for pedestrians and vulnerable road users?
• Is the design speed of the road realistic, and is there adequate speed enforcement?
 Pre-crash phase

PRE-CRASH PHASE
Before crashes take
place, there are
opportunities for
CRASH PREVENTION

e.g.
Signage and road
markings
Road design that
informs and aids all road
users THE ROAD ENVIRONMENT can also affect the behaviour of road users:
• Is there good signage to inform drivers of speed limits?
• Is there good signage to allow drivers to make decisions in good time (direction signs,
etc)?
• Are there elements of the road design that aid and encourage safe driving (e.g.,
rumble strips to reduce cross-over crashes, good road markings and linage?
• Is there good information for pedestrians and vulnerable road users (e.g., acoustic
road signals and tactile pavement)?
During a crash, there are
opportunities for DURING A CRASH
INJURY PREVENTION

e.g.
Signage and road
markings
Road design that
informs and aids all road
users
HUMAN FACTORS can affect the severity of injuries during a crash:

• Using restraints: Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatality by up to 50% in the
front seat, and 25% in the back seat of vehicles.
• Child car seats increase a child’s chance of surviving a crash by 70%.
• Drivers who speed are not only more likely to crash: in a crash the consequences are
more likely to be severe.
During a crash, there are DURING A CRASH
opportunities for
INJURY PREVENTION

e.g.
Passive safety systems,
the type, age and safety
construction of the
vehicle
VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT can affect the severity of injuries during a crash:
• Passive safety systems become active during a crash to save lives and prevent
injuries: seat belts, air bags, and the construction of the vehicle.
• In many countries, seat belts are not fitted or accessible in the rear seat, and seat
belts may not be functioning.
• Vehicle fleets may be old and the safety rating of some new vehicles may be poor.
• The type of vehicle is important. Two-wheelers are more vulnerable, as are many
agricultural vehicles (e.g. horse carts).
During a crash, there are
DURING A CRASH
opportunities for
INJURY PREVENTION

e.g.
Crash barriers,
protection from
roadside hazards
THE ROAD ENVIRONMENT can affect the severity of injuries during a crash:

• Are there crash barriers?

• Are there unprotected roadside hazards?
• Where there are utility poles and posts, are they constructed to be safer in a collision
(e.g. collapsible poles)?
After a crash, there are
POST-CRASH
opportunities for
SUSTAINING LIFE

e.g.
First Aid skills,
emergency rescue
number, trained
medical staff HUMAN FACTORS can affect survival and the severity of injuries longer term:

• Are there bystanders with first-aid skills or knowledge of what to do?

• Does the country have a Single National Emergency number people can ring? This
greatly shortens rescue time.
• Are there medical staff trained to deal with road trauma?
 POST-CRASH
After a crash, there are
opportunities for
SUSTAINING LIFE

e.g.
Vehicle extrication, fire
protection, medical
equipment VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT can affect survival and the severity of injuries longer
term:

• Is it easy to gain access to victims in the vehicle or has it collapsed?

• Is there an increased fire risk from the vehicle?
• Do emergency services have adequate rescue and life-saving equipment: e.g.
extrication equipment, bandages, spine boards?
After a crash, there are POST-CRASH
opportunities for
SUSTAINING LIFE

e.g.
Access to crash
locations, local
emergency services and
care, time taken to THE ROAD ENVIRONMENT can affect survival and the severity of injuries:

respond • Is it easy to gain access to the crash location? Note that both road design (emergency
access points) and road congestion (emergency lanes) are factors.
• Are emergency services located in the vicinity?
• Is it easy to transport victims to trauma care within the ‘golden hour’ that aids survival
and reduces the consequences of injuries?
• Are trauma centres and specialist care available?
CAN YOU THINK OF MORE
FACTORS THAT AFFECT
ROAD CASUALTIES?
• Legal and regulatory framework
• Enforcement of vehicle and road standards
• Quality of road construction
• Resources for road safety management

Many other factors are involved in a safe system.

WATCH “ROAD SAFETY
ADVISORY COUNCIL: SAFE
SYSTEM” ON YOUTUBE
THE SAFE SYSTEMS
APPROACH – RECOGNISING
HUMAN VULNERABILITY
The Safe Systems Approach considers the system as a whole, the
interaction between its elements and the potential for effective
intervention. It recognises that the human body is highly
vulnerable and humans make mistakes.

”A safe road traffic system is one that accommodates and

compensates for human vulnerability and fallibility.”

The aim is a system where people are not killed or seriously

injured even when they make a mistake.
HUMANS ARE HIGHLY
VULNERABLE IN CRASHES
WATCH VIDEO “Meet Graham” on YouTube
SOME COUNTRIES HAVE
ADOPTED A SAFE SYSTEM
APPROACH
Sweden adopted
their VISION ZERO
policy in 1997
SINCE ADOPTING VISION ZERO IN
SWEDEN:
• Safety is included as a key goal when planning,
designing and building infrastructure projects

• Traffic fatalities have halved

• Sweden has among the lowest rates of road fatalities in

the world
TWO CONCEPTS FOR
SAFER ROADS:

FORGIVING ROADS: SELF-EXPLAINING ROADS:

Roads that ‘forgive’ Roads that seek to
human error prevent driver errors
FORGIVING ROADS:
FORGIVING ROADS: Elements include
Roads that ‘forgive’
• Barrier terminals
human error –
• Tactile edge lines
redirecting vehicles, • Wide shoulders
allowing clear zones, • Collapsible poles and
safe guardrails, etc. safe street furniture
SELF-EXPLAINING ROADS:
Elements include

• Road markings
SELF-EXPLAINING ROADS:
• Signage
• Consistency in design Roads that seek to
prevent driver errors
HUMAN FACTORS AND
ROAD DESIGN ’NUDGES’
Simple features
such as painting
lines on the road
can persuade
drivers to slow
down or turn
correctly
 Good road MULTI-MODAL ROADS:
design
recognises that NOT JUST FOR CARS
ALL road users
should be
accommodated
in a SAFE
SYSTEM
SUMMARY:
• A Safe Systems Approach is at the heart of the Global Road Safety
Action Plan
• It developed from an analytical framework devised by Dr William
Haddon
• Each phase of a crash is considered in Haddon’s Matrix – pre-crash,
during the crash and post-crash
• Different factors are involved in each phase: human, vehicles and
equipment, and environment
• A Safe Systems Approach is one that accommodates and
compensates for human vulnerability and fallibility
• Some countries have adopted a Vision Zero approach
• ‘Forgiving Roads’ forgive human error
• ‘Self-explaining Roads’ seek to prevent driver error
• ‘Multi-Modal Roads’ recognise that roads are not just for cars
IN THE NEXT MODULE:
AN INTRODUCTION TO
ROAD SAFETY
ENGINEERING
 MODULE 2

A SYSTEMATIC
APPROACH TO ROAD
SAFETY
EBRD Road Safety Engineering
E-learning Package