Key changes that were raised by submitters and which we have incorporated in the guide include:
- To be classified as a high-risk rural road, the road will need a history of three or more fatal and serious crashes within five years, or five or more within 10 years. An equivalent number of potential crashes can also be used. Potential crashes are estimated using a risk assessment procedure such as the KiwiRAP analysis tool or RISA for local roads. The minimum crash criteria will exclude sections of road with only one or two maybe random crashes from being classed as high risk.
- The NZTA Investment and Revenue Strategy (IRS) now recognises ‘high risk rural roads’ as a high priority for funding. The IRS ‘high strategic fit’ assessment now includes “potential to significantly reduce the number of crashes involving death and serious injuries in line with Safer Journeys on a high risk rural road”. However, for a ‘high strategic fit’ the IRS requires us to address high risk roads identified from actual crash records only. A potential crash rate, based on risk assessment only, will be assigned a ‘medium strategic fit’.
- Case studies which show how the guide can be used in practice from start to finish are now included in the guide. Examples cover off most of the quadrants of the treatment philosophy diagram. Case studies have been moved into the appendix.
- All countermeasures have been moved to the Appendices.
- A new section 5 has been developed to discuss the importance of understanding all the problems of the route/site before choosing countermeasures. The section refers to a whole of Safe System approach, so road and vehicle interventions are considered, along with the particular needs of vulnerable road users. The importance of using all crash records and risk assessment data to fully understand the crash problem and diagnose the causes is emphasised.
- More consideration has been given to risk management within the guide and a new subsection has been added to reflect this.
- Awareness training for this guide and the draft High Risk Intersection guide (soon to be released) will be organised throughout the country to help road controlling authorities. Where possible this will be held in conjunction with other relevant regional workshop or meetings.
Find out more information on the guide.
Previous consultation content
Introduction
Crashes on rural roads are a serious issue in New Zealand. The social and economic costs are high. The Government's road safety strategy Safer Journeys signals that more must be done to improve safety on our high risk rural roads. Crashes on rural open roads (state highways and local roads with speed limits of 80km/h or more) accounted for 53 percent of all New Zealand fatal and serious road crashes for the five year period to 2009.
Safer Journeys vision is "a safe road system increasingly free of death and serious injury". The strategy gives us a road map for focusing our efforts where the greatest gains can be made. Roads and roadsides are an area of high concern, and high risk rural roads are identified as requiring early action under the strategy.
Safer Journeys introduces the Safe System approach that represents a fundamental shift in the way we think about, and act upon, road safety. People make mistakes and although crashes are inevitable, in a safe system they are less likely to result in death and serious injury.
This High-risk rural roads guide is a flagship Safer Journeys initiative. It is a practical guide to making our roads safer, intended for use by all road controlling authorities that manage high risk rural roads. This is a draft guide and we are seeking feedback to finalise it.
The High-risk rural roads guide introduces a new way to identify high risk road sections and, using the Safe System approach, provides best practice guidance on choosing effective countermeasures. By following the guide, road controlling authorities, such as the NZTA and local councils, can design best-value remedial projects to limit road crash deaths and severe injuries. Some locations with the highest risks will deserve transformational works and different treatments will be appropriate in other situations. Skid resistance, delineation and basic maintenance will still be a requirement at all locations and in places speed management measures will continue to be used to limit the number and seriousness of road crashes.
Our traditional approach to road safety has helped achieve our current levels of road safety and the elements of this approach are still important. We need to add to this mix the components of the Safe System approach, where road designers and users share the responsibility of a system to protect road users from death and serious injury.
The NZTA is also developing a companion document addressing high risk intersections which is also a Safer Journeys initiative. We expect to make a draft available for comment later in October 2011.
