The responses of interstate highways in terms of road safety have been published publicly on a first time basis, yet they are not made available to South Australia. Royal Automobile Association (RAA) is now calling on the South Australian Government to join the other states and publish its road safety star ratings. This action is after other states like Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia released their data and were evaluated by the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP).
AusRAP Data Factors
| Safety Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Lane and Shoulder Width | Measures road width and shoulder safety |
| Speed Limit | Evaluates speed regulation on roads |
| Safety Barriers | Presence of crash barriers and rumble strips |
| Traffic Volume | Average daily vehicle counts |
| Road Geometry | Curvature, gradient, and lane count |
| Surface Quality | Skid resistance and line marking quality |
| Vulnerable User Provisions | Facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists |
AusRAP Ratings are important because they provide the company with feedback on how its business activities are regarded by society, including the environmental, social, and economic consequences resulting from its operations.<|human|>The significance of the AusRAP Ratings is that they offer the company a feedback on how its business practices are perceived by the society including the environmental, social, and economic impacts of its operations.
AusRAP gives road ratings as one to five stars, with five-star road implying the greatest level of safety. The rating system considers the main risk factors such as the lane and shoulder width, speed limits, safety barriers, rumble strips, etc. Opening of such ratings to the public would create transparency regarding the safety of the roads and the roads that need immediate safety upgrades. Having such information, road users are in a better position to determine the ranking of funding decisions towards safer road networks.
Requesting South Australian Transparency.
Charles Mountain, RAA Senior Manager Safety and Infrastructure expressed his support on nationwide release of road safety data but noted his disappointment over the South Australia not being included in this first release. He noted how important such data is in investing to save lives as well as minimizing severe collisions along perilous roads. The RAA is also demanding that the South Australian Government provides a schedule on when their road safety ratings will be made available to all road users.
National and Public Support
The publicity to publish road safety ratings was accelerated with the Data Saves Lives campaign led by the Australian Automobile Association in which hundreds of thousands of Australians called to have more transparency in 2023-24. The purpose of this campaign was to make sure that data on road safety is used by the government to make decisions in funding infrastructure improvements to benefit the common road user.
How AusRAP Evaluates Roads
The AusRAP protocols evaluate roads according to a wide range of risk criteria: traffic volume, speed limit, lane and shoulder width, roadside features, road bends, road surface, and accommodations of vulnerable users such as pedestrians and bicycle users. This overall assessment assists in identifying the areas of the road system that are the most dangerous and require immediate upgrading.
Next Steps South Australia.
The RAA considers access to the South Australian star ratings as a key to public awareness as well as specific road safety funding. It supports increasing major roads to a minimum of three-star rating of safety with the goal of having a safer driving experience in the state. By publicizing this information, the locals will become stronger advocates of the needed changes in roads they use in their everyday life.
FAQs
Question 1: How come that South Australia has not yet published its road safety ratings?
There is no timeline made available by the South Australian Government, and the RAA is busy seeking an explanation as to when the data is to be released.
Q2: What is the benefit of AusRAP star rating in road safety?
They also determine the most and least dangerous road networks, which they use to direct funding and upgrades to minimize accidents and increase driver security.
Q3: Do drivers have access to these safety ratings of roads that they travel on regularly?
Yep, as more states publish their ratings, drivers can have a closer look at the safety data and make a well-informed decision and push towards the changes.
This transparency and data disclosure request of RAA indicates the increasing need of evidence-based road safety solutions. Transparency of such ratings to the population is very essential in saving lives and investing more wisely in infrastructure.
